Placer County school district returned to campus. One week later, 3 students have COVID-19
Just one week after students in Rocklin Unified School District returned to in-person instruction, three high school students have tested positive for coronavirus.
The three students who tested positive for COVID-19 attend Whitney High School, the district said Wednesday. As a result, 15 additional students and one teacher are now in quarantine.
The district considered bringing students back to campus five days a week for all grades, but after the positive cases, the district school board instead voted 3-2 on Tuesday night to continue in-person learning with its current hybrid model until at least Jan. 8.
District officials said they continue to follow Placer County guidelines regarding health and safety protocols.
About 10,000 Rocklin Unified students returned to the district’s 17 campuses on Sept. 21, following a reduction in Placer County’s coronavirus infection rate that moved it from the state’s most restrictive closure category to the second-most restrictive. That permitted the district to reopen schools without first getting a waiver.
Students returned in a hybrid model, meaning they only attend in-person instruction two or three days a week, depending on their grade levels.
About 68 percent of teachers said they felt they were not ready to go back to school next week, according to the teachers union.
When surveyed in July, 60 percent of families said they wanted to return five days a week, while 30 percent said they wanted to return in a hybrid model. About 10 percent of families said they will continue using the online option, according to a district survey.
Nearly 1,400 of the district’s 13,500 students have opted to continue distance learning with the Rocklin Virtual Campus. That program has separate staff and a separate principal. Some parents and teachers voiced their concerns about continuously readjusting their schedules, particularly with those who chose to continue learning online.
On Sept. 16, the district’s teachers union filed a grievance raising concerns about whether enough safety precautions are in place to keep students and teachers safe from COVID-19.
In addition to the grievance, more than 2,500 people have signed a petition that called for the district to delay reopening campuses and continue providing a distance learning program.