What you need to know about Sacramento-area school reopenings during coronavirus

With the recent changes in school reopening guidelines in California, parents are looking for answers as to how their schools will eventually reopen.

Here are some questions that The Sacramento Bee has received, along with answers to help readers prepare for the new school year. (To read the full live chat, go here.)

Will Sacramento County honor its word and process in-person class waivers mid-September?

There are more than 200 in-person classroom waivers across the state already approved — many of them in counties labeled by the state as a “purple, widespread” tier just like Sacramento County. I cannot imagine Sacramento County postponing, especially as the state is relaxing its reopening guidance. Sac County public health officials continue to say mid-September is the date it will grant waivers submitted by schools that have met safety measures to reopen. The waiver application process opened, and some schools have already submitted.

How many schools have applied for a waiver? Are they all private?

At least 10 have applied in Sacramento County. Public health officials that most of them are private schools. We have not seen the list. But we know that it includes several private schools, including Capital Christian. Schools in the Catholic diocese are applying as well.

Waivers will not be granted in Sacramento County until mid-September. Statewide, 229 schools have filed for waivers. Most of them received a waiver. There were some public school districts which received th waiver.

A handful of waivers were denied. Find the entire list here.

It’s anyone’s guess how many large public school districts will apply for waivers.

Take a look at El Dorado County. Elementary schools in districts like Buckeye could have opened, and they did not.

School districts across the state will continue to factor in whether their cases will increase, how accessible testing will be, and they will be concerned about “yo-yo”ing their programs, especially with winter months coming. (Example: one week in-person, two weeks of distance learning due to an outbreak, back to in-person, and so forth.)

Also, waiver applications require that school districts report how their labor partners feel about reopening. It’s not just a decision based on a parent survey or a superintendent’s preference.

What supports, if any, are ESL students and families receiving?

English Language Learners are receiving support. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced this week the assessment test (the ELPAC) used to determine a student’s English proficiency is now online for grades 3-12.

Now that this test transitioned from a paper test to an online exam, students can receive their scores immediately. The test was made available to all schools Aug. 20.

Students in grades K-2 will still take the exam on paper.

Also, last week when Gov. Gavin Newsom rolled out new guidance in an effort to reopen classrooms for some students, that was also intended for ELL students.

The guidance will allow some students on campus in small cohorts at public and private schools. However, schools are not required to open such cohorts.

Some teachers at some schools (like at Burbank High School) are providing extra days of live instruction to English Language Learner classes, as well as including bilingual aides and bilingual peer tutors to provide support in those classes.

Why can’t teachers choose between in-person classes and distance learning?

That’s exactly how some school districts are doing it.

Rescue Union School District in El Dorado County, which opened classrooms because the county is not on the state watch list, uses this model.

Teachers are physically in class with their students, and it is still a morning/afternoon schedule. Staff members sanitize the classroom between the cohorts.

But the students who opted to continue distance learning are taught by teachers who are teaching online.

As schools and school districts discuss the plans to reopen, they are beginning to revisit their reopening plans as state guidance, COVID-19 case numbers and other factors have changed.

What is California mandating students in remote learning? Will schools take attendance?

State Education Code (SB 98) mandates a certain number of minutes at minimum for all students. TK and kindergarten students are instructed for 180 minutes, students in grades 1-3 are instructed for 230 minutes, and 4-12 are instructed for 240 minutes.

How each school district divides that between live instruction and independent work is up to them, in partnership with their labor partners. (You have probably seen it defined as synchronous vs. asynchronous). There will always be a blend of both.

Student attendance and synchronous learning: School districts and private schools are making different decisions on how to take attendance. Equity is a concern here. Some older students are responsible for caring for their younger siblings while their parents are out at work, and cannot attend live sessions. That’s what recorded sessions are for.

How are children’s mental and physical well being being taken into account with all of the new video-conferencing hours and screen hours being mandated?

The California Department of Education is encouraging school districts to focus on students’ well being. There is a delicate balance between rigorous school work and ensuring students are mentally and physically ready for distance learning. The CDE also shared some tips with families.

What will happen to California state exams this year?

According to the California Department of Education, the state, the testing contractor and stakeholders “are working together to address contingency planning. The primary focus is on making sure students return to safe schools and that their educational needs are being met. The Assessment Development and Administration Division will continue to communicate with local educational agency assessment coordinators as plans are formulated for the fall term.”

High school equivalency assessments can be taken online. The state suspended CAASPP testing for the 2019-2020 school year

The California Department of Education applied for a waiver and received approval from the U.S. Department of Education to waive testing requirements for the 2019-2020 school year.

Why did Sacramento City Unified limit the hours of instruction for the first week of school?

Both plans from the district and the Sacramento City Teachers Association’s meet the state-mandated minimum. They both agreed to this. The debate is how to divide those minutes between live instruction and independent work. The district wants more live instruction. The teachers union allocates more minutes to independent work saying students thrive from direct instructions, saying that teachers know best and their students grow tired when they are online for too long.

Regarding the limited instruction this week: The district agreed to the teacher union’s proposal to use much of the time on Thursday and Friday to have teachers and students get acquainted with the platforms, log in smoothly and sort out technical details.

How does the state define small cohorts?

A small cohort, according to the state, is 14 students (or less) with no more than two adults. The state wants schools to prioritize at-risk students, or students with special needs. And once those students are prioritized, schools can bring more students on campus as long as they cap it at 25% capacity.

Can a school be held liable if a student or staff member gets COVID-19?

In June, amid concerns that California’s K-12 schools could face an onslaught of lawsuits related to coronavirus guidelines, like the mask mandate, Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, introduced a bill to establish limited liability protections against COVID-19-related lawsuits. The bill was not successful. There have been no high-profile court cases finding schools liable, so this is an open question, as schools do not have specific exemptions from liability in the law.

What if teachers or schools don’t follow health and safety guidelines?

Teachers or staff members who do not follow state guidelines could face consequences like closures. We saw in August the Sacramento County Public Health Department closed a private school for not following county reopening guidelines. (They have since reopened). Earlier this year, when counties began releasing their distance learning plans, it was clear that public health officials planned to visit campuses to ensure guidelines were being followed to keep everyone safe.

Will there be COVID-19 testing soon in schools?

According to public health officials, it will be a shared responsibility between school and their public health department. For example, Sacramento County Public Health is communicating with schools and school districts and requesting each school have a plan in place for providing regular COVID-19 testing to teachers and school site staff prior to bringing students on campus.

Sacramento County is finalizing a program for teachers and school staff to access dedicated, free COVID-19 testing that will be available starting Sept. 14. Results will be ready 72 hours after the testing. All testing is paid through CARES Act funding. Eventually, testing will be available for all school in Sacramento County.

Twin Rivers Unified was one of the first school districts to provide voluntarily testing to its staff, and soon to its students. The district ordered more than 10,000 testing kits in anticipation of reopening its campuses some time this school year. Results come in after 72 hours, at the most, according to Sacramento County public health officials.

How are Gov. Newsom’s kids being educated?

The Governor’s office has not responded to my request for comment.

This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 6:49 AM.