Monterey County’s Adjusted Case Rate has fallen below 25/100,000 as of 2/16/21, meeting the metric assigned by the updated COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year to allow K-6 schools to re-open to in-person instruction. Schools in Monterey County can now finalize plans to re-open to in-person instruction for K-6 after posting on their website their Covid Safety Plan (CSP), made up of their Covid Prevention Policy and the School Guidance Checklist. The CSP must also be submitted to the local health department and the California State Safe Schools for All Team for review. The local health department and the State Team then have seven business days to review and provide any feedback. The school(s) may reopen on the eighth business day if neither the local health department nor the State provide notification that the CSP is unsafe.
“As each and every district, charter school and private school is unique, there will not be a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools. “Schools are carefully considering the safety of students and staff and will announce specific plans that meet their varied and individualized needs.”
Some Monterey County school districts have already begun welcoming back limited numbers of students through two separate re-opening frameworks allowed by the state. This includes school districts and private schools that applied for and received waivers to re-open for grades K-6. (Please note: This waiver process was eliminated in the new Guidance released on January 14, 2021.) In addition, there are schools working with small groups of students for in-person instruction and services following the Small Group California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines.
Schools that reopen for in-person instruction must adhere to the appropriate CDPH guidelines as the guidelines are specific to the program. As there is a requirement to allow for physical distancing, most classrooms will be occupied by only a fraction of their normal capacity. Schools may comply with CDPH guidelines by adopting a hybrid learning model, which utilizes stable cohorts of students that are present on campus part of the week and continue distance learning on the days when they are not on campus. Distance Learning accommodations will be made for families who are not comfortable sending their students back to the physical campus.
Each CSP includes multiple mitigation strategies including face coverings, enhanced cleaning/disinfection, stable cohorts, physical distancing, health screenings, personal protective equipment (PPE), transportation, healthy hygiene practices, contact tracing, COVID-19 testing, and more.
School districts will keep their families apprised of their reopening plans and timelines through their normal communication channels.
“We recognize that people have passionate feelings on both sides of the school reopening issue, and we want nothing more than to get students safely back to class,” said Guss. “School district leaders are working with their school community to develop reopening plans that allow schools to open in the most responsible and safest manner.”
For more information regarding school reopenings, visit schools.covid19.ca.gov.