More schools reopening as Sacramento County enters red tier. See where your district stands

One by one, school districts across Sacramento County are announcing they’ll reopen campuses as soon as Thursday.

The county entered the state’s red tier for coronavirus risk on Tuesday as COVID-19 infection rates continue to drop, allowing a number of businesses to reopen for indoor operations and middle and high schools to reopen. Although the county already allowed for it, many school districts in the county have not reopened elementary campuses.

Local health experts welcomed the reopenings as long as schools follow safety protocols.

“We find that schools are very safe environments with very little transmission as long as they have routine practices in place such as recommended masking all of the time, distancing when feasible, and cohorting of the children,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

Here’s a guide to see where your district stands:

Elk Grove Unified

Students in grades Pre-K through third grade returned to Elk Grove campuses on Tuesday. The district is bringing students back on a staggered schedule. Students will return to campus in a concurrent model, allowing teachers to instruct both students in-person and online at the same time. About 30% of the district’s 60,000 students will return to campus this spring.

Students in grades fourth through sixth will begin in-person classes on March 23. Secondary school students will begin in-person instruction on April 1.

San Juan Unified

All 40,000 K-12 students in San Juan Unified will have the option to return to campuses on Monday in a hybrid model.

The district originally announced secondary schools would likely reopen in April, but now that Sacramento County is in red tier, the district is able to bring all students back.

“We recognize that a return to in-person learning is a big change for our students and school campuses will look very different,” read a statement from the district. “Families are invited to view a video that highlights some of the changes students will see around campus. We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about the extra safety measures that have been implemented, such as the use of face coverings and physical distancing, to protect students and staff as they return to campus.”

Natomas Unified

About 40% of elementary students in Natomas Unified returned to in-person instruction on campus this month. The district was the second in Sacramento County to bring students back to campuses — and the first in 2021. Just over 2,300 elementary students, including sixth-graders in self-contained classrooms, returned in a district of about 10,000 students.

After five consecutive days in the red tier, the district will reopen middle and high school campuses on Monday, according to an email announcement. The first week will be minimum days, to help students adjust to the change.

“This has been a long road, and we can finally say that we see some light at the end of the tunnel,” read a statement from the district.

Sacramento City Unified

Sacramento City Unified announced its target dates to reopen campuses for the district’s 40,000 students.

Both the district and the teachers union have proposed an April 8 return for pre-kindergarten through third grade students, plus students in kindergarten through sixth grade in special day classes. On April 15, fourth through sixth grade students would return, and on May 6, all seventh through twelve grade students would return.

The district released a video on Tuesday showing families how teachers plan to instruct students in a concurrent model. The district is surveying families and asking them if their children will return to in-person instruction or remain in distance learning. As of March 12, 56% of students chose in-person learning while 44% chose to continue online.

Folsom Cordova Unified

With the county now in red tier, middle and high school campuses will reopen on Thursday.

Elementary aged students had the opportunity to return to their campuses in November. About 56% of its students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade returned to campus on a hybrid model. Sixth grade students returned to middle school campuses on March 4.

The district applied to reopen its secondary classrooms, but the county denied the waiver due to a difference in interpretation of the eligibility requirement and what “phased reopening” meant. The disapproval was not due to the district’s safety plan. The district then reapplied with the state public health department and did not hear back last week.

Twin Rivers Unified

Students in elementary, middle and high schools will return to campus in a hybrid model starting April 6.

“Despite buildings being closed for 12 months, educators never stopped teaching and students never stopped learning through a comprehensive distance learning model,” said sixth grade teacher and teachers union president Rebecca LeDoux. “As we begin this new phase, educators can safely return to in-person instruction and continue to support our students.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 12:53 PM.