The Visalia Unified School District Board of Trustees has unanimously approved reopening secondary schools for in-person learning after Tulare County reaches the red tier of the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system.

VUSD Superintendent Tamara Ravalín said students should expect to be back in school a week and a day after the county meets the state’s target, which could come as soon as next Tuesday.

“If (the map) turns (red) on a Tuesday, then possibly a week from that Thursday we’d come back to school,” Ravalín explained during the Tuesday night board meeting. “Our middle and high schools are looking at having seventh- and ninth-grade orientations, so they could do that on the Wednesday before or sooner.”

An upcoming change to California’s tiered system will allow many counties to begin wider reopenings of business, schools and activities as COVID cases continue to decline.

Because of in-person instruction waivers, students up to sixth grade previously returned to VUSD campuses in phases beginning in December.

Visalia Unified board members unanimously approved the revised reopening plan on Tuesday night.

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