Temperature checks, face coverings and social distancing — fall semester will be different

Wendy Leung
Ventura County Star

Classroom supplies and back-to-school attire used to be on the minds of parents and educators as fall semester nears.

Not this year.

"Parents want to know if it’s going to be safe and what it’s going to look like," said Amy Buss, a Thousand Oaks mother of two.

As spring semester winds down in Ventura County, not many people know what going back to school will be like. Temperature checks, face masks, six feet of distancing are all in the realm. If there's any certainty at all, it's that back to school is going to look very different.

"The optimist in me, the educator in me is saying on Aug. 18, there’s going to be some form of schooling," said Adrian Palazuelos, superintendent of Fillmore Unified School District. "What that means is yet to be determined."   

Ivonee Carrion, with the Simi Valley Unified School District, passes out laptops in plastic bags to students inside their cars Thursday, April 2, 2020.

California schools were awaiting a comprehensive set of guidelines on reopening from the state Department of Education. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said it could come in days or weeks.

During a virtual forum with school leaders in May, Thurmond said he understands schools need guidance, flexibility and protective equipment.

"We understand your needs and know that we hear you and that we’re working together with you and we’ve got your back," Thurmond said. "We’re going to figure this out together." 

Many educators believe the distance learning that's been taking place since mid-March isn't going away.

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Palazuelos said there will likely be some in-person instruction or a hybrid of classroom and distance learning.

"I think it would be important to have distance learning given the fact that there’s a lot of uncertainty," he said. "We’re squarely in very difficult circumstances. ... You’re trying to organize a plan and have all things in control when the one thing I know is there’s no control."

Buss, whose two daughters are about to enter kindergarten and second grade, said while in-person instruction is so important to young students, it seems impossible to enforce distancing for children who love to hug and play. She said she's awaiting to hear more details about Conejo Valley Unified School District's reentry plan before making a decision about fall. Homeschooling is a possibility, Buss said.

Buss' daughter, Tristan Buss, 7, said she enjoys going to school and being home but the prospect of starting second grade at home makes her sad. She hopes school will return in the fall.

"I'm crossing my fingers right now," Tristan said.

It seems everybody is crossing their fingers.

Oxnard Union High School District announced its plan to reopen on Aug. 26 with restrictions. Students will likely be on campus one or two days of the week and learn from home the other days.

Conejo Valley Unified School District is scheduled to reopen Aug. 19 and La Reina High and Middle School, a private institution, will open Aug. 11. Administrators at the Catholic girls school believe there is enough room on the 11-acre campus to spread out and conduct small classes safely.

Each school district will likely have different reopening plans.

Some schools will have smaller class sizes and utilize outdoor space. Some schools may do in-class instruction for lower grades and a blended approach of in-person and distance learning for upper grades.

Ben Valdepeña, president of the California School Employees Association, said at the virtual forum that it will be challenging to constantly sanitize schools when the budget and staffing levels are cut.

"I know how to open a school, I know how to open a school district, but I don’t know how to open in the age of COVID-19," Valdepeña said. "I would hate to see our schools be a hub of transmitting this virus to the community."

There's a lot of uncertainties as education leaders weigh the parameters of the next school year. Until there's a coronavirus vaccine, school leaders believe that any reopening could be followed by another closure.

Mark McLaughlin, superintendent of Conejo Valley Unified, has many concerns while thinking about a re-entry plan such as how to support students and employees who have respiratory issues and what the schedule will look like with staggered classes. The district passed out 4,000 laptops to students who requested them, but he wonders whether there are still connectivity issues for all students and families.

"It's not enough to cause panic, but it's enough to keep me up at night," McLaughlin said.

Wendy Leung is a staff writer for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at wendy.leung@vcstar.com or 805-437-0339. You can also find her on Twitter @Leung__Wendy.