New state guidelines push back target date for return to in-person learning in Orange County

When schools were forced to shut down in March through the end of last school year, much of the focus went to the losses of the class of 2020.

Proms went by the wayside, graduation ceremonies were modified, and senior spring sport seasons went uncompleted.

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on schools and their students has resulted in various forms of longing and loss, which has had a trickle-down effect throughout the education system.

As the new school year begins, there is much public outcry for students to be allowed to return to the classroom.

Orange County health officials had expected to have that option available to local school districts on Sept. 8 after the county had been removed from the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list.

However, new guidelines from the state have pushed that target date back, after the county was given a designation of “widespread transmission,” the first level in a four-tier system that now governs the ability of counties to reopen.

The Orange County Health Care Agency said in a release that the county is on track to progress into the second tier of “substantial transmission” on Sept. 8. That will be followed by a 14-day waiting period before schools can reopen without a waiver, putting the new target date at Sept. 22.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District spokeswoman Annette Franco said the district has yet to decide on a date for transitioning from distance learning. She added that the district has exercised caution in announcing a date with the reopening situation being fluid, but she also said that the district is working to finalize those plans.

Some parents in the area want the Newport-Mesa school district to take action by applying for waivers to send their children back to school.

“Based on the newest guidance, it does seem like there might be a path to school opening, so I’d like to see the district give us all more information about what that looks like so we can actually open,” said Newport Beach resident Murphy Curtis, 42, a mother to a fifth-grader at Newport Heights Elementary. “They haven’t provided a lot of detail. Additionally, the [Newport-Mesa school district] needs to apply for a waiver so at least we have an option for our younger kids.”

While not setting a date for a potential return to in-classroom learning may prevent the possible need for backtracking on plans, that has been frustrating for parents who want to know what to expect.

“They either have no idea and haven’t been doing any planning all spring and summer, or they are purposely keeping parents in the dark so we cannot ask questions or protest their plans,” said Newport Beach resident Griffin Coon, 38, a parent to a kindergartner at Harbor View Elementary.

Brooke Ledger of Corona del Mar said that with an online-schooling option available, there should not be much opposition to public schools reopening, as some private schools have.

“Yesterday, my 9-year-old son sat in his desk chair in front of a computer screen for six hours and 15 minutes,” Ledger said. “At the end of the day, he was understandably distraught. Several parents have said that their kids are complaining of headaches and even [show] signs of clinical depression after staring at a screen for so long. Distance learning isn’t good or healthy for kids.”

The Ocean View School District had planned to move into a hybrid-learning model that provides for some classroom learning and some online instruction beginning Sept. 14. District Supt. Carol Hansen enumerated some of the protocols that will be in place when the transition happens.

“When it is deemed safe for schools to resume in-person instruction, we will have protective plastic shields for both teachers and students in our classrooms,” Hansen said. “We will be implementing a variety of other health and safety precautions like temperature checks, face coverings, hand-washing stations and new sanitizing wands.”

Laguna Beach Unified School District Deputy Supt. Leisa Winston said the district board of education plans to look at potential dates for a return to in-person learning, as well as whether or not to apply for the elementary school waiver, in a board meeting on Thursday.

Jimmy Lambos, the assistant to interim Supt. Greg Magnuson for the Huntington Beach City School District, said the new state guidelines have little impact on the plans of the district, since it focused on beginning the school year with distance learning.

“That’s what the district’s been preparing for, and that was the wish of the board [of trustees] was to have the district begin online only starting Sept. 10,” Lambos said, adding that the board did not have interest in applying for waivers. “At our meeting that is scheduled for next Tuesday, we’re going to ask the board to approve a transition date [for hybrid learning] to be the first week of October, to have that be our official transition date from a Phase 1 to a Phase 2.”

The Huntington Beach Union High School District and the Fountain Valley School District did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Los Amigos athletic director Chris Sandro said that the Garden Grove Unified School District will allow schools to resume modified athletic workouts on Sept 8. All workouts would be voluntary for both coaches and athletes.

The Newport-Mesa school district began its first phase of the return of athletics on Aug. 17, and the Huntington Beach Union High School District did so on Aug. 24.

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