While Los Angeles Unified and other major state school districts are struggling to know how and when to resume face-to-face education, some smaller districts are already beginning to welcome at least some of their younger students back to campus.
Public school districts in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach they are all reopening campuses this week to serve students from kindergarten through transition to 2nd grade. These students will attend in a hybrid model, with some taking face-to-face classes and others virtually.
These districts are also getting some students back who need specialized services. They are also resuming personal athletic conditioning for student athletes.
Last fall, before the most recent regional home stay requests that closed schools, some districts partially reopened under exemptions granted by the County Department of Health. These South Bay districts were among those that were granted exemptions.
In January, they followed the guidance of the LA County Department of Public Health to keep schools closed. Now, with the reduction of coronavirus cases and county restrictions, these districts are putting their COVID-19 hybrid learning and security plans into action.
From Tuesday in El Segundo Unified, groups of students from kindergarten through grade 2 will spend two and a half hours on campus in the morning or in the afternoon, four days a week. Students and school staff should distance themselves socially and wear masks.
District superintendent Melissa Moore says she is confident in her district’s decision to resume face-to-face classes. It already has support from the school board, teachers’ union, city hall, parent and teacher associations and other community groups.
“Because it is a small school district – we have just under 3,500 students – we can be more agile,” said Moore.
Moore is also planning a proposal to bring 3rd graders back to campus in mid-February. Throughout the process, she plans to keep an eye out for locally reported COVID-19 cases.
“We have a very small residential population … so our case rates have been very low,” said Moore.
In the past two weeks, El Segundo has reported 310 cases per 100,000 people. Other cities in LA County reported thousands of cases in the same period.
Similarly, Redondo Beach Unified reported relatively low cases, and on Monday it started the TK-2 hybrid classes for the first time since the pandemic began. Superintendent Steven Keller said the first day was a success.
“We can confirm that we didn’t see any children cry as their parents walked away,” said Keller. “What we are taking is that the children are excited to go back to school.”
Keller’s district is testing simultaneous teaching, which means that one group of students learns on campus every day while another group learns virtually. Keller said he plans to assess the thoughts of parents, teachers and students about the program a little later this year.
At Manhattan Beach Unified, TK-2 students will also be divided into two cohorts. This week, the district will offer two days on campus and next week it will increase to four.
As for LA Unified, Superintendent Austin Beutner said in your weekly video address that the rate of coronavirus cases remains too high to safely resume face-to-face classes. “There is a lot that needs to happen for schools to reopen,” he said.
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