While Los Angeles Unified and other major school districts in the state are struggling over how and when to resume personal tuition, some smaller districts are already beginning to welcome at least some of their youngest students back to campus.
Public school districts in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach and Redondo beach this week everyone is offering campuses again to serve students in the transition school at the second grade. The students will attend according to a hybrid model, while some follow lessons in person and others virtually.
These districts also welcome students in need of special services. They are also in the process of resuming personal athletic fitness for student athletes.
Last fall, ahead of the latest local home orders that closed schools, some districts were partially reopened under exemptions granted by the health department. These districts in the South Bay were one of the areas for which their exemption was granted.
In January, they heeded the leadership of the LA County Department of Public Health to close schools. With the occurrence of coronavirus cases and restrictions on the province, these districts are implementing their hybrid learning and COVID-19 safety plans.
Starting Tuesday at El Segundo Unified, groups of students in a transition school at the second grade will spend two-and-a-half hours in the mornings or afternoons four days a week on campus. Students and school workers are expected to distance themselves socially and wear masks.
District Superintendent Melissa Moore says she is confident in her district’s decision to resume personal lessons. She already has the support of the school board, teachers ‘union, mayor’s office, parent teachers’ associations and other community groups.
“Because we are a small school district – we only have less than 3,500 pupils,” we can be more mobile, “Moore said.
Moore is also planning a proposal to bring middle school students back to campus in mid-February. Throughout the process, she plans to monitor local COVID-19 cases.
“We have a very small residential population … so our rate was very low,” Moore said.
In the past two weeks, El Segundo has reported 310 cases per 100,000 people. Other cities in LA County have reported thousands of cases over the same period.
Redondo Beach Unified also reported relatively low cases and began TK-2 hybrid classes on Monday for the first time since the pandemic. Superintendent Steven Keller said the first day was successful.
“We can confirm that we did not see a single child crying when their parent walked away,” Keller said. “What we take away is that children are excited to come back to school.”
Keller’s District tests simultaneous teaching, which means that one group of students learns on campus every day, while another group learns virtually. Keller said he plans to determine parents’, teachers’ and students’ thoughts on the program a little later this year.
In Manhattan Beach Unified, TK-2 students will also be divided into two groups. The district is offering two days on campus this week and next week it will increase to four.
As for LA Unified, Superintendent Austin Beutner said in his weekly video address that the coronavirus rate remains too high to safely resume personal classes. “A lot needs to happen to reopen schools,” he said.
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