California’s economy is set to reopen in mid-June. But are schools part of the plan?

Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week he expects schools in California to reopen at full schedules after June 15 – the date he set as a goal to reopen the state’s economy from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

Many, if not most, public schools in the state are operating on modified schedules, welcoming students back on campus only a couple of times a week, or for half-day schedules. The part-time schedules and uncertainty about the next few months is leaving many parents wondering when a return to normalcy will take place.

Newsom’s plan is not a mandate, and decisions to fully reopen for in-person instruction will likely fall on counties and local labor negotiations. School officials are still unsure what the fall will look like. According to new state public health department guidelines, “schools and institutions of higher education should conduct full-time, in person instruction, in compliance with Cal/OSHA emergency temporary standards and public health guidelines.”

Jonathan Zachreson, a Roseville parent and founder of the Reopen California Schools Facebook group, said he welcomes Newsom’s comments, and said that school districts should not deprive kids of in-person learning next year. Most school districts in Placer County have transitioned to more traditional schedules, bringing students back on campus five days a week.

“Families across California are still not in the classroom or are barely getting in-person instructional time,” Zachreson said. “Governor Newsom unilaterally closed schools, so much of the responsibility for the education crisis we are in falls on his shoulders. He shouldn’t wait till June 15, but take action immediately by mandating all K-12 schools offer real, substantial full-time in-person learning now. Furthermore, I’m cautiously optimistic about the fall from this words, but parents need to pay close attention to the language coming out from the legislature over the next few months.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said there is a clear pathway to safely bringing students back to campuses in a full return.

“Returning to in-person instruction must include an urgent focus on addressing opportunity gaps experienced most among students who were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic disrupted learning,” Thurmond said.

The California Department of Education has spent weeks connecting school leaders with resources, including rapid COVID-19 testing and proper ventilation on campuses.

Sean Mitchell, of the Elk Grove Unified Parent Coalition, said he wonders how the state is defining in-person instruction. Mitchell, a father of children in grades six, eight and 11, said his students are learning in-person concurrently with their peers at home.

“We are a little gun-shy about what it means to be back on campus in the fall,” he said. “We are still on Zoom, but (officials) say that schools are open.”

Mitchell and other parents sent the district a notice of legal intent asking for a fall reopening plan.

Thurmond said the state must make plans for families who don’t plan on sending children back to campuses in the fall.

“We must prepare for the possibility that there will be some families who cannot or may choose not to send their students back to school campuses this fall, and schools may need the flexibility to offer some form of remote learning,” Thurmond said in a released statement. “I look forward to engaging with the Governor’s Office and lawmakers on next steps that are designed to ensure we are meeting the health, safety, and learning needs of every California student.”

Some parents say they hope a full return also means a return to normalcy with no masks. Mitchell asked Elk Grove Unified for a mask exemption and is waiting for his health care provider to provide one.

But Sacramento and state health officials have both said masks will still be required at schools for the foreseeable future.