Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Mojave Desert School Opens, So Why Not Big Creek Elementary, Hume Lake Charter?
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 4 years ago on
August 25, 2020

Share

Lucerne Valley Elementary School opened its doors last Thursday to in-person instruction for nearly 200 students, even though San Bernardino County is on the state’s watchlist for counties with high rates of coronavirus infections.


Listen to this article:


Big Creek Elementary School District Superintendent Toby Wait said Tuesday he was previously told that the Fresno County Public Health Department already had submitted the school’s waiver request to the state and was surprised to hear from GV Wireâ„  that apparently it has not.

The county has had twice as many reported COVID-19 cases and deaths as Fresno County, not surprising since San Bernardino County’s population is two times bigger than Fresno County’s.

Even so, the San Bernardino Public Health Department issued a waiver so Lucerne Valley Elementary, which is in a remote portion of the upper Mojave Desert east of Victorville and north of the San Bernardino mountains, could reopen for on-site classes.

Fresno County health officials, on the other hand, appear to be dragging their feet when considering waivers for two tiny, remote schools high in the Sierra mountains, Big Creek Elementary and Hume Lake Charter.

Fresno County interim health officer Dr. Rais Vohra

Still in Conversation with Schools

At Tuesday’s Public Health media briefing, interim health officer Dr. Rais Vohra said the county is still talking with the schools about their requests for waivers to the state’s mandatory school closures.

In an effort to slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, the state decreed in July that schools in counties being monitored for high infection and hospitalization rates must remain closed. However, the state guidelines give counties the option of issuing waivers so children in grades K-6 can attend school in-person.

Vohra said Tuesday, as he has at past briefings, that waivers remain out of reach because Fresno County’s cases are in excess of the threshold set by the state of 200 cases per 100,000 population.

But San Bernardino County’s numbers also were past 200, which should have precluded the waiver for Lucerne Valley. District superintendent Peter Livingston told GV Wireâ„  on Tuesday that San Bernardino County health department officials initially were disinclined to issue the waiver until he presented compelling data that convinced them otherwise.

Similarly, Big Creek, a Southern California Edison employee community southwest of Huntington Lake and 11 miles from Highway 168, has had no cases of COVID-19.

Few Infections, Remote Location

The Lucerne Valley district spreads out over 750 miles in the high desert, so social distancing is not an issue, Livingston said. And even though the overall infection numbers for the county have been high, Lucerne Valley’s numbers are well below the threshold for a waiver, he said.

Once the Lucerne Valley district convinced its county health department that its metrics didn’t mirror the county’s, public health officials moved quickly to submit the district’s waiver application to the California Department of Public Health, which had a three-day deadline to respond to the proposal.

In addition, Livingston said, the state “highly recommends” no waivers when cases exceed 200 per 100,000 but doesn’t actually forbid them in counties that are on the watchlist.

Once the Lucerne Valley district convinced its county health department that its metrics didn’t mirror the county’s, public health officials moved quickly to submit the district’s waiver application to the California Department of Public Health, which had a three-day deadline to respond to the proposal, he said.

On Aug. 12, Livingston learned from the county that the waiver had been approved.

Hybrid Schedule Is in Effect

Even so, Lucerne Valley Elementary started its school year on Aug. 17 on distance learning to give officials time to make final tweaks to the hybrid schedule that started Thursday.

About 20% of parents opted to keep their kids out of school and on distance learning for now, Livingston said.

Of the remaining 80% of the elementary students, about 190 attend on Thursdays and Fridays, and the other 190 on Mondays and Tuesdays. They do online instruction on the days they are not at schools, he said.

How Hard Is Fresno County Fighting for These Schools?

Vohra said Tuesday that Fresno County health officials are still “in conversations” with Big Creek and Hume Lake Charter about their reopening plans.

Asked if the plans have been submitted to the California Department of Public Health, he said, “The state has already laid out what their guidelines are” for awarding waivers based on a county having fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 population.

Big Creek Elementary School District superintendent Toby Wait said Tuesday he was previously told that the Fresno County Public Health Department already had submitted the school’s waiver request to the state and was surprised to hear from GV Wireâ„  that apparently it has not.

Like Lucerne Valley, Big Creek proposes a hybrid schedule that would split the K-6 students into morning or afternoon attendance schedules, keeping class sizes below 10. Big Creek’s enrollment in grades K-8 is about 56 students; the older students would remain on distance learning under Big Creek’s plan.

The school’s reopening plan, previously submitted to Fresno County Public Health, also outlines the protocols and guidelines to be followed to keep students and staff safe, including requiring masks and sanitization of surfaces.

DON'T MISS

City of Fresno Buys Half of Eldorado Park in Strategic Maxwell-Led Move

DON'T MISS

GOP Picks up Key House Seats While Democrats Say They Still Have a Path to a Majority

DON'T MISS

Costa Expands Lead Over Maher, Richardson Holds Narrow Edge on Bonakdar

DON'T MISS

Clovis’ Measure A and Sanger’s Measure M Get Good News with Thursday Vote Update

DON'T MISS

President-Elect Trump Has Sweeping Plans. Here’s What He’s Proposed.

DON'T MISS

New Look Basketball Bulldogs Open at Home. How Will They Fare Under Walberg?

DON'T MISS

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

DON'T MISS

President-Elect Trump Names Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff

DON'T MISS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Foe of Drugmakers and Regulators, Is Poised to Wield New Power

DON'T MISS

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second.

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second.

UP NEXT

Don’t Expect Kamala Harris’ Loss to Boost Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Prospects

UP NEXT

Former Fresno State Bull Rider, a Vietnam Vet, Calls Central Valley Honor Flight ‘Life-Changing’

UP NEXT

California Governor Calls Special Session to Protect Liberal Policies From Trump Presidency

UP NEXT

Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at CA Border

UP NEXT

Thousands Ordered to Evacuate as Powerful Wind-Fed Wildfire Burns Homes in Southern California

UP NEXT

Hundreds of Californians Flee and Homes Burn as Powerful Winds Feed Wildfires

UP NEXT

Clovis Unified’s Outdoor Education Employees Seeking Union Representation

UP NEXT

Powerful Winds and Low Humidity Raise Wildfire Risk Across California as Blaze Erupts Near Malibu

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Clovis’ Measure A and Sanger’s Measure M Get Good News with Thursday Vote Update

7 hours ago

President-Elect Trump Has Sweeping Plans. Here’s What He’s Proposed.

8 hours ago

New Look Basketball Bulldogs Open at Home. How Will They Fare Under Walberg?

8 hours ago

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

8 hours ago

President-Elect Trump Names Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff

9 hours ago

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Foe of Drugmakers and Regulators, Is Poised to Wield New Power

10 hours ago

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second.

10 hours ago

With Mountain West Title Out of Reach, What Is Fresno State Playing For?

11 hours ago

Former Fresno State Bull Rider, a Vietnam Vet, Calls Central Valley Honor Flight ‘Life-Changing’

11 hours ago

Don’t Expect Kamala Harris’ Loss to Boost Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Prospects

11 hours ago

City of Fresno Buys Half of Eldorado Park in Strategic Maxwell-Led Move

The city of Fresno now owns a new park. Or at least half of it. Technically, the city of Fresno did not own El Dorado Park, at Barstow Avenu...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

City of Fresno Buys Half of Eldorado Park in Strategic Maxwell-Led Move

The U.S. Capitol is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
7 hours ago

GOP Picks up Key House Seats While Democrats Say They Still Have a Path to a Majority

7 hours ago

Costa Expands Lead Over Maher, Richardson Holds Narrow Edge on Bonakdar

7 hours ago

Clovis’ Measure A and Sanger’s Measure M Get Good News with Thursday Vote Update

8 hours ago

President-Elect Trump Has Sweeping Plans. Here’s What He’s Proposed.

8 hours ago

New Look Basketball Bulldogs Open at Home. How Will They Fare Under Walberg?

8 hours ago

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

Trump co-campaign manager Susie Wiles is seen at Nashville International Airport as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives, July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP File)
9 hours ago

President-Elect Trump Names Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff

Search

Send this to a friend