San Diego schools reopening with in-person, online, hybrid options
Parents get to choose how their kids learn while the coronavirus is still present in this California city
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer discusses the cities reopening plan for schools and allowing parents to choose whether their kids return to campus or continue online learning.
School districts in San Diego will put the power of education in parents' hands by letting them choose whether their children will be taught in-person the old fashion way or taught online in the safety of their home, according to a Tuesday report from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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There may also be a hybrid learning option where children will be able to enter classrooms for part of the time and learn from a distance for the rest of the week and vice versa.
San Diego students can continue COVID-19 distance learning for the upcoming school year if their parents choose it for them. (iStock)
These new learning options are a part of an updated county order that went into effect on June 16, which has greenlit school reopening plans so long as it complies with the California Department of Public Health coronavirus guidelines.
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Conditions for hosting in-person classes on campuses will require face-covering usage, temperature checks, encouraged daily hand-washing and social distancing along with enhanced cleaning protocols, according to the CDPH’s COVID-19 Industry Guidance for schools and school-based programs.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer told FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto on Wednesday that the beginning of the academic school year for San Diego students will start on Aug. 31.
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“The school board here in San Diego voted last night to give parents that option – to open up schools, to have the kids start on August 31, but also with the option to continue distance learning, which we had of course, for the last several months,” Faulconer said. “I support that. I think that the plan that we’ve been working on, and again with our superintendent, with our local school board here in San Diego, we spent a lot of time on what does a safe reopening plan looks like, allow parents to have that choice. I think that that strikes the right balance.”
He added that he is confident many parents will take advantage of the on-site learning option with the new safety measures that are being laid out.
San Diego students and teachers can return to the classroom with face coverings and other coronavirus safety measures. (iStock)
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For example, San Diego schools will need to document how each is complying with the industry guidance the CDPH has presented.
As of Tuesday, 9,730 residents have tested positive for coronavirus according to the San Diego COVID-19 Dashboard, which started recording on Feb. 14.
A bulk of the infections are in age ranges 20-to-29 (1,874 confirmed infections) and 30-to-39 (1,826 confirmed infections) followed by those who are 40 and above, which are the age ranges that current San Diego teachers can likely fall into and be at-risk of catching the respiratory illness.
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