Natomas Unified plans to return elementary students to campus by end of February

Natomas Unified has announced Feb. 23 as a possible school reopening date for elementary-aged students in the district.

Students in grades transitional kindergarten though sixth grade can return to campus on that date as long as the COVID-19 infection rate doesn’t rise.

Sacramento County is averaging 17.6 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents each day, according to the most recent state data. The state requires counties to be below 25 new daily cases per 100,000 residents to reopen schools for students in transitional kindergarten to sixth grade and to be at seven or fewer new daily cases per 100,000 residents to reopen schools for grades seven to 12.

Sacramento County public health officials released a revised public health order on Feb. 8, which adopted the state’s guidance that elementary schools that had not reopened are eligible for campus reopening once the threshold is less than 25 cases per 100,000.

Schools are required to submit their safety plans to public health officials.

Natomas Unified made the decision Feb. 10 after meeting with Sacramento County Public Health and labor unions.

“We think it’s time for kids to go back socially and emotionally,” Superintendent Chris Evans said.

In a recent survey conducted by the Natomas Teachers Association, just over 90 percent of teachers said they don’t believe campuses should reopen on Feb. 23 and instead said schools should open only after the county enters the red tier of the state’s coronavirus tier system.

And 75% of the teachers who completed the survey said they are willing to take a vote on a strike over unfair practice and safety issues.

The district and the teachers union will meet Tuesday and the teachers union said it will make it clear then that teachers want to return, but only when it’s safe and when schools are ready.

“The rushed approach to reopen schools is not only creating safety concerns throughout the district, it is putting immense stress on teachers and school sites that are not physically ready,” the teachers union said in an email to its members.

Evans said the MOU between the district and the teachers union, which dates back to October, covered a variety of scenarios, including a plan to return to campus once the county was in the red tier. But that didn’t happen in January, as school officials had hoped.

The county also announced it will begin vaccinating teachers Feb. 16, allowing Natomas teachers the opportunity to receive their first dose before entering the classroom.

The district is also working with the state to provide 15-minute rapid testing for students and staff, and has opened a vaccination site on some of its campuses for residents who are eligible.

About 43% of elementary-aged students in Natomas Unified will attend classes in person. And 57% of students will be in class on Zoom, learning through live instruction in what the school district calls a concurrent model. Class sizes are expected to be around five to eight students per classroom, Evans said.

Natomas Unified expects to reopen middle and high schools once Sacramento County enters the red tier.

This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.