Lake County— As lockdown restrictions continue to ease across the state, the California Department of Education (CDE) unveiled its recommendation guidelines on how to safely reopen schools.
The guidelines, published this week, are non-binding and are simply recommendations. It is up to individual school districts on how to proceed with their reopenings.
The 55-page document offers suggestions including how to accommodate teachers, staff and students with underlying health conditions, who are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. Teachers, the guidelines recommend, can work virtually or coordinate with their district on a change of responsibilities, a step that can be implemented for other staff members as well. Vulnerable students, according to the CDE, should be allowed to do distance learning, something that Brock Falkenberg, the county superintendent of schools, wants to keep as an option for all parents that prefer it for their kids.
The guidelines also outline how to implement social distancing at school. The various methods include blended learning (a mix of in-person and virtual instruction), smaller class sizes and separating kids into small groups.
Other recommendations include schools serving meals across various locations on campus; sending additional buses, or having them go out in different shifts, when picking up students in order to maintain social distancing within their transportation. Hand sanitizer stations and campus cleanings are also discussed in the CDE’s document.
“CDE gives the ‘what’ but not the ‘how,’” wrote Dave McQueen, superintendent of Kelseyville Unified School District (KVUSD), in an email to the Record-Bee. “By that I mean, it provides standards but then leaves it up to us to determine how we meet those standards. For example, the guidance recommends that all staff and students wear cloth face coverings or face shields, and that school districts gather sufficient personal protective equipment to keep everyone safe. It’s up to us to determine where to get the masks and how many to have on hand.”
To add onto that challenge, schools are in danger of having to do more with less. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed revised budget would make steep cuts to education. Both chambers of the state Legislature have countered with their own proposed budget, one that is much more generous in funding for schools. As the two parties have a back-and-forth, the Monday deadline to vote on a budget is fast approaching.
“I do not believe that schools will have the ability to put the vast majority of the recommendations in place without additional funding and [it’s] next to impossible with cuts to current funding,” remarked Mike Brown, principal and superintendent of Lucerne Elementary School.
According to district superintendents, they are meeting with Falkenberg in “weekly situational meetings.” Along with those joint meetings, individual districts are taking their own actions and planning for what lies ahead.
In the case of Lakeport Unified School District (LUSD), said Superintendent Jill Falconer, it includes the formation of a committee last month, one composed of school employees including: teachers and classified employees from their respective unions, counselors, a nurse, administrators and other staff to explore reopening options. This committee, which meets every week, has created a three-phase plan to be ready when the time to return to school arrives.
“The first stage included identifying our questions and concerns in light of the information that was available to us and the communicated state and local health guidelines,” wrote Falconer in an email. She continued later: “Now, in the second state, we are reviewing county and state guidelines in order to begin developing possible scenarios for a Hybrid Learning,” otherwise known as a blended learning “environment. The third stage will include final approval and detailed plans for the safe reopening [of] school.”
Over at KVUSD, planning for reopening has been underway for weeks, according to McQueen. He added that opening campuses ultimately depends on the local spread of COVID-19 and the consultation of Lake County’s Health Department. Part of KVUSD’s reopening planning process included providing a survey to schools’ employees and parents for input.
As individual districts assess and brainstorm their own circumstances, Falkenberg expressed his desire to see all districts in the county reimplement teaching on a conventional five-day schedule. Safety, he also wrote, is of the utmost priority when it comes to continuing education in the upcoming school year.
Health officials throughout the nation, at all levels of government, have played a crucial role in determining what is safe. Dr. Gary Pace, Lake County’s public health officer, shared that the CDE’s guidelines were formed with the feedback of health officials across the state, earning his trust in them.
“I currently have no plans to add unique restrictions for Lake County schools,” wrote Pace in an email earlier this week. “District personnel, our superintendents, and others that work in our schools every day are truly best positioned to evaluate unique local needs and keep students safe. They have been great to work with these past few months, and I believe they understand the threats we are still facing, and are seeking to provide the best quality instruction, as safely as possible.”
He cautioned that in-person learning could be suspended if COVID-19 surges, especially if the healthcare system is overwhelmed. “All of us hope that will not happen,” Pace said, and implored residents to be hygienic and wear masks.
“I am confident that our school boards and superintendents will make the appropriate decisions to meet the needs of their communities, families, students, and teachers,” wrote Falkenberg. He also asserted the importance of getting kids back on campus for their mental and physical health and encouraged parents to provide input to their local school officials.
All officials interviewed expressed determination to ensure a safe environment for students.
“We will get through this pandemic and financial crisis. We’ve been through tough times before, but we always get through it as we rely on each other,” wrote McQueen. “We will help each other like we always do. We will do what needs to be done to keep all students safe and successful.”
