Could Orange County schools reopen in fall with no masks? Board of Education says they should
Orange County schools could welcome students back to campus this fall ā without social distancing or masks ā after the education leaders on Monday approved recommendations that sharply contrast reopening plans outlined by their counterparts in Los Angeles and San Diego.
In a 4-1 vote, members of the Orange County Board of Education, with trustee Beckie Gomez dissenting, said they believe a return to schools is the best course for children, in part because science has shown those in the school-age crowd are not at great risk of contracting COVID-19.
Their guidelines ā which call for daily temperature checks, frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer, in addition to the nightly disinfection of classrooms, offices and transportation vehicles, among other measures ā oppose orders issued by the Orange County Department of Education.
The recommendations do not support distancing learners and requiring face masks, two tenets put forth by the county departmentās āOrange County Togetherā guidelines.
Board Vice President Mari Barke and colleagues clarified the boardās suggestions were compiled from a June 24 community forum that convened an 11-member panel of health and policy experts selected by board members and drew more than 1,000 in-person and online attendees.
āOur constituents expect leadership from us, and so we wanted to present the information to you,ā Burke said. āThese are simply guidelines to be looked at and to follow according to whatās best for your family ā take it for what it is and do what youāre most comfortable with.ā
Now the debate is over how and when to reopen schools ā parents and teachers are divided and worried.
Following last monthās forum, advisory guidelines were compiled in a white paper that called distance learning an āutter failureā that revealed class disparities and inspired irregular attendance, at best, and cast social distancing measures and mask-wearing more of a harm than a help.
āK-12 children represent the lowest risk cohort for COVID-19. Because of that fact social distancing of children and reduced census in classrooms is not necessary and, therefore, not recommended,ā the document stated.
āRequiring children to wear masks during school is not only difficult ā if not impossible to implement ā but not based on science,ā it continued. āIt may even be harmful and is, therefore, not recommended.ā
The white paper suggests if a school district is unwilling to provide the environment parents feel is best suited to their childrenās needs, that parents be allowed āto send their children to a district or charter school that will provide that education.ā
Mondayās discussion drew a massive response from members of the public, who emailed more than 2,000 comments to the board. Nearly two dozen in-person commenters addressed the board directly.
Most were parents effusive in their support for the boardās ābravery and diligence.ā Many of them stressed not only the education component of their youngsters returning to a physical campus, but also their emotional and mental well-being.
āWhat we know about online schooling is that it is ineffective,ā said a speaker named Leigh. Board policy does not allow broadcasting of last names. She and others worry about disadvantages plaguing children stuck at home, especially among low-income families who may not have online access.
Honoring this yearās graduating seniors from high schools in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach and other parts of Orange County.
Jennifer, the mother of a daughter whoās a special-education teacher, said sheās especially concerned about āmonths of lost servicesā for kids who receive one-on-one attention in classrooms due to their disabilities.
āDisney World opened this weekend, and their lawyer must know something we donāt know,ā she added, citing an American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that advocates āall policy decisions in the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.ā
Casey, a mother with two children enrolled at Tustin Unified School District, described at-home learning as āa disaster,ā adding that her youngsters soon ābecame addicted to technologyā and wrestling the iPad away from their hands was a constant challenge.
Other parents said they had witnessed the transformation of healthy, well-adjusted and active kids, turning completely āoppositeā ā or that they had drained their childrenās college savings account to pay for private education after the closure of many public schools in mid-March.
āIām begging you how to figure out how to keep our kids in school,ā said Margo, mom to a rising junior at Foothill High School in Santa Ana. She fears an increase in alcohol or drug abuse among families forced to isolate themselves and their youngsters from a regular classroom environment.
Erica, the mother of special-needs children, called wearing masks āa distraction. They hide faces and they hide smiles. Plus, they are not effective.ā Moreover, she said āteaching young developing minds not to socialize is a crime.ā
Justin, who has a nephew whoās been thriving while studying from home, said he actually appreciates the opportunity for the child to come into his own, away from āsocial stressorsā in class. Out in society now rampant with āwhite supremacyā and āgun owners,ā he asked: āWhat happens when you try to reintroduce kids into a world like this, one weāre trying to fix?ā
Crystal, another speaker, cited the example of 36 countries around the world that have reopened schools āand they have not shown a significant spikeā of COVID-19. āMy children and dozens of friends will not be attending schools if masks are required.ā
Tiffany, mother of a kindergartner, questioned whether itās āreasonable that a child should be denied a proper education ... be denied the opportunity to work on group projectsā and go on field trips. She also asked why kids should ābe taught to fear the very air that they breathe?ā
Mondayās summations stand in marked contrast to recent steps taken at Los Angeles and San Diego unified school districts, where leaders announced Monday campuses would not reopen in August and students would return to online learning, due to a worsening coronavirus surge.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new restrictions to halt indoor dining statewide, gyms, churches, hair salons and other businesses in much of the state.
It also follows an announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier that day calling for many counties, including Orange and Los Angeles, to reclose gyms, churches, hair salons, shopping malls and other personal service businesses.
Board member Tim Shaw reiterated Monday the adopted recommendations would hardly count as law in Orange County.
āNo oneās forcing anybody,ā Shaw said. āIf you feel very strongly, very adamantly that you donāt want your child to attend a public school with other children, there will almost certainly be an online option made available to you.ā
Many local school districts say they are moving forward with individualized reopening plans that have been in the works for the past several weeks.
Students in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, for example, will have the option of attending an online-only school or participating in a program that can shift from in-person classes, to online, to a hybrid model and back in response to shifting health orders. Board members are due to vote Tuesday on the three-phase model, said spokeswoman Annette Franco.
Some schools will likely follow the boardās suggestion, after having done their own research. At Pacifica Christian Orange County High School in Newport Beach, Brandon Gonzalez, the director of athletics and student life, said the private institution plans to return to in-person learning.
He said campus leaders have been meeting each week for the past six weeks to work on what returning to class will look like this fall but havenāt yet decided whether to require face masks.
āI fully understand the medical studies, political views and personal preferences on wanting to wear masks or not wear them,ā Gonzalez added, ābut it seems they may be a necessary step for the time being... to protect teachers, faculty, staff and those who may be at high risk.ā
Luiz NuƱez, a history teacher and the head football coach at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, said while itās important for kids to return to school due to the social aspect and their mental health, the Board of Education is leaving out the most important factor.
āThere is also a responsibility as an educator and coach to make sure the safety of my students, players and coaches [are] a priority,ā NuƱez said. āI want to go back into the classroom, but there has to be a plan of safety that takes care of [the] stakeholders. I want to go back, but I want to do it as safely as possible. I donāt believe the [Orange County Board of Education] is taking those measures with their [recommendations].ā
NuƱez also teaches at a school where more than half of the student body is Latino. That demographic has been hit hard by the coronavirus in Orange County, as well as in Los Angeles County.
Armed with disaggregated coronavirus data, county officials and health advocates are going exactly where rates are highest to remove barriers to education and testing.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported Tuesday that out of the 26,120 confirmed total cases of COVID-19 in its county, 6,846 (43.6%) identify as Latino/Hispanic. The cumulative death toll in the county is 433, and 159 of those are Latino/Hispanic.
āMost of our Hispanic [students] at Ocean View have parents who are frontline workers [and] who are constantly exposed to COVID-19,ā NuƱez said. āMany of my students and football players were forced to join the labor force and struggled to participate in distance learning. Some had to help younger siblings or shared computers to get their academics duties completed.
āI am torn with what is happening, because I know safety is a priority, but the challenges they face learning from home make it very difficult for them to engage in distance learning. Thatās why a safety plan of kids returning to school is so vital. Allowing kids to return with zero guidelines puts students, teachers and staff at risk with so many of our students and families working on the front lines.ā
Huntington Beachās Ocean View School District plans to reopen an online academy as a separate school under the district for families who wish to commit to a year of distance learning.
Others will be brought into smaller classes, with guidelines in place, where they will learn in distanced plexiglass safety corrals, according to Board President Gina Clayton-Tarvin. She said the district was not interested in adopting the recommendations of the County Board of Education, which she said has āzero authorityā over local districts.
āIt is, frankly, politically driven,ā Clayton-Tarvin said of the boardās recent action. āItās reckless and itās causing undue fear among teachers, students and parents alike, for no other reason than to wind people up.ā
As coronavirus cases across the nation continue to climb and waning suns set on weary parents, the debate over whether and how to reopen brick-and-mortar schools in the fall is beginning to take center stage in political debates.
President Trump jumped into the debate on children returning to school next month. He says yes, but teachers, parents and health professionals are wary.
Earlier in July, President Trump issued a call for American schools to reopen full time, blaming Democrats for wanting to keep them close to prevent him from being reelected. He also threatened to cut off federal funding for educational institutions - authority he does not have.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, in a CNN interview Sunday, repeated her mantra that children āneed to be back in school,ā stopping short of offering a plan for how they can safely return. She has said staggering arrival times for classes and spacing desks 6 feet apart are āflexibleā guidelines that may be used as āappropriate.ā
Gonzalez, at Pacifica Christian, said politics aside, he is hoping kids can safely return to campus soon.
āBeing at school is better than being home, however you look at it,ā he said.
Anh Do is a staff writer with the Los Angeles Times.
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