Elementary schools in Monterey County soon could reopen for in-person learning.

As of Feb. 16, the adjusted Covid-19 case rate in Monterey County has fallen below 25 per 100,000 people. This means K-6 schools and transitional kindergarten now meet the metric under the state’s Reopening In-Person Rate Framework and Public Health Guidance. (Schools with seventh- to 12th-graders can reopen once the case rate is under seven people per 100,000.)

In order to reopen, K-6 schools have to post a Covid Safety Plan, or CSP, and submit it to local health officials and the state’s Safe Schools for All Team. State and local officials have seven business days to review the plan and provide feedback. 

Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss said in a media briefing on Wednesday, Feb. 17 that the CSP contains all the guidelines that will ensure students and staff safety. It includes health and safety procedures schools have to follow before reopening. This includes what personal protective equipment will be required, health screenings, and physical distancing guidelines for recreational and common spaces such as lunch areas and playgrounds.  

If the plan doesn't meet those requirements properly, local and state officials will contact the schools to discuss changes on their CSP and schools will only be able to reopen once their updated version is approved. 

Guss said reopening for most schools will be under the hybrid model, in which students will attend in-person classes partially and receive the rest of their classes online. 

Schools in Carmel Unified School District have been ready to reopen since last year because of the previous waiver system for reopening; they had a plan in place to start hybrid learning in early February. That process, however, was replaced with this new CSP process that is based on the county's case rate.

Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno said CUSD has already submitted its CSP and everything seems to be in order. If the case rate stays under 25 per 100,000 for five consecutive days, Moreno said CUSD schools could reopen as early as next Monday. 

The case rate of each county is updated weekly and this can alter the outcomes. (Moreno says it's unlikely Monterey County’s case rate will go above 25 per 100,000.)

But the metrics have to be monitored weekly. If cases go above 25 per 100,000 and schools haven’t yet opened, they will remain closed. On the other hand, if a school reopens, even if the numbers spike, they can continue with in-person instruction. 

Guss said at this moment MCOE officials don’t know how many schools districts have submitted their CSP but warned that schools across the county are at different stages. Some are more ready to open than others. The superintendent said it's too soon to know which districts are ready to reopen and when they will start with in-person learning. Those who have been working behind the scenes to prepare, she said, will be open sooner than those who are just starting to work on their CSP.