Rocklin students return to in-person instruction five days a week

Students in Rocklin Unified School District returned to campus Tuesday to begin in-person classes. Students will be on campus five days a week under the new schedule.

The school board voted Dec. 15, after hours of deliberation, to bring students back to campuses full-time five days a week if coronavirus infection rates improved in Placer County.

Students in grades TK through 12 are returning five days a week, but are still in a morning and afternoon cohorts, adding more instructional minutes each day, as COVID-19 is still raging in the region.

Travis Mougeotte, president of the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association, told The Sacramento Bee he was concerned the decision would force many students and staff into the district’s virtual campus or to leave the district.

The district is continuing to provide a distance learning option, the Rocklin Virtual Campus, for students who choose not to attend classes in-person.

Concerns about an increase in coronavirus cases were also shared. Between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10, 54 students and 15 staff members tested positive for the virus. There were 108 others who were symptomatic.

Rocklin Unified serves more than 12,000 students across 17 schools; 11 are elementary schools. Just under 10,000 students returned to campus for in-person instruction.

This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 10:08 AM.