On Nov. 17, the Carmel Unified School District obtained a waiver for students to return to class at Captain Cooper, Carmel River, Tularcitos and Carmelo elementary schools. Now with Covid cases skyrocketing, the district is reviewing whether they will move forward with in-person learning.
Including CUSD schools, there are 18 schools in Monterey County with waivers for in-person classes, and some have started face-to-face learning in small groups. CUSD has a hybrid plan proposal; if approved, parents could choose between hybrid (in-person and virtual classes) or distance learning.
From Nov. 17 to Dec. 7, the county has reported 3,413 new Covid-19 cases, or an average of 170.7 cases per day since CUSD obtained the waiver. Monterey County, like most of the state, continues in the Purple Tier, previously the most restrictive one; depending on regional ICU capacity the county may face additional restrictions.
“We are aware that cases are going up and we will be hoping to open when cases are going back down in the other direction,” says CUSD Interim Superintendent Trisha Dellis.
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District was preparing to start small cohorts for special education students on Dec. 7, but it postponed until Jan. 11. According to a letter MPUSD sent to parents, they pushed back the start date to ensure student and staff safety.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, California’s largest, suspended in-person instruction on Dec. 7 for the remainder of the fall semester. Their shutdown came the day California started with stricter shelter-at-home orders and one day after Los Angeles recorded a record number of 10,528 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, Dec. 6.
CUSD sent a survey to parents last week asking parents if they should pursue the waiver or not, Dellis says. She thinks the results will be similar to last month’s survey and that most parents will vote for in-person instruction. If most parents request in-person learning, CUSD will send the matter to the Board of Trustees and they will decide, on Dec. 16, if CUSD schools will reopen or not.
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