Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Clovis Schools Delay Return for Students Because of Rising COVID Rates
gvw_nancy_price
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 3 years ago on
January 4, 2021

Share

Clovis Unified School District has temporarily halted the return to classroom instruction for students who were not already receiving in-person instruction based on recommendations of local health officials over COVID-19 concerns.

The district announced late last week that it was postponing until Jan. 19 at the earliest its plans to bring more students, including middle and high schoolers, back to campus.

In an email sent to Clovis Unified families, Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell acknowledged that announcing the decision to postpone the continued phase-in of returning to school just a few days before the spring semester starts is “frustrating and painful” to families and staff.

But, O’Farrell said, the district also recognized that the worsening pandemic motivated local and state officials to urge schools not to expand school populations.

“Changes, however, are necessary at times as we responsibly balance our community’s health and safety with the educational purpose for which we exist,” she said.

Fresno County continues to report rising infection rates of the coronavirus that show no sign of abating — and likely will not at least for weeks due to gatherings over the holiday break. Much of the state, including the San Joaquin Valley region, is in Tier 1, color-coded purple, of the state’s reopening plan because of the high percentage of positive tests for COVID-19 and scarce intensive care unit beds in local hospitals.

In-Person Instruction Continues for Some

The postponement affects students who were due to begin returning to in-person instruction after Monday, but not those who are already back at school.

Health officials told Clovis Unified that the students and staff who are already going to school are familiar with and following the health and safety protocols, but others who don’t have the same familiarity and track record for following the protocols would be returning at a time when the risk of infection is dangerously high, O’Farrell said.

The district plans to launch a web-based dashboard by mid-January to report the number of positive coronavirus tests by site or facility, she said.

Among the major school districts in the Fresno area, Clovis has been the most aggressive about students to in-person instruction sooner than later.

Plans for Other Districts

Central Unified, which had planned a hybrid instruction model of in-person and distance learning at the start of the spring semester, decided in December to delay the return of elementary students to classroom instruction because of high infection rates until at least Jan. 19, or when Fresno County reaches Tier 2, the red tier. Middle and high school students would remain on distance learning until the county reaches Tier 3, the orange tier.

Fresno Unified, meanwhile, has not wavered from its goal of reopening schools to in-person instruction once Fresno County reaches the  orange tier.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced plans to provide an additional $2 billion for school safety measures. Students in transitional kindergarten through second grade would begin returning to in-person instruction starting in February, so long as the county’s seven-day average case rate is below 28 per 100,000 residents.

As of last week Fresno County’s rate was 84.9 per 100,000.

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

DON'T MISS

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

DON'T MISS

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

DON'T MISS

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

DON'T MISS

California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases

DON'T MISS

No Police Charges for Taylor Swift’s Dad Over Paparazzi Incident in Sydney

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

No data was found
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

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

8 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

8 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

8 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

9 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

9 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

10 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

10 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

10 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

13 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

13 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

PGA HOPE, now underway at Fresno’s Riverside Golf Course, is designed to introduce golf to veterans and active duty military members t...

7 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Fresno's Riverside Golf Course
7 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

8 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

8 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

8 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

8 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

8 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

9 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

9 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend