San Ramon Valley Unified School District will be joining several other school systems in the Bay Area and will not be returning teachers and students to classes.
It's a decision leaders in the Contra Costa County district have been struggling with for several days now and many teachers and parents are breathing a sigh of relief. But there are a few people pushing for kids to return to class.
Board members acknowledged that new info from the department of public health and an expected announcement from Governor Gavin Newsom prompted them to change course.
They decided to start with distance learning, attendance will be taken and grades will be given.
“I feel so relieved,” said Rachel Decker, Dougherty Valley High School teacher. “Trust me when I say that all teachers want to be back in their classrooms. I desperately miss my students and I missed them all spring, but we also want to be safe.”
Dougherty Valley journalism teacher Rachel Decker says returning to distance learning is not ideal, but teachers have learned lots of lessons over the spring that will help the start of this school year go a lot smoother than when students had to abruptly leave classes.
Some parents had been pushing for the option to send their kids to school five days a week.
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“We can't live our life in fear,” said parent Jen Guroff. “I'm not going to let fear dictate my choices for my life and my family.”
They hope that will soon be offered.
"I want to know that after Labor Day, let's reassess the data, let's get us back into school,” said parent Brenda Balingit.
Dougherty Valley math teacher Rob Gendron is also a parent of two students. He says the school board's decision eases concerns about possible coronavirus infections at school.
“I would hate for any student to wonder why their teacher was ill, or their classmate got ill,” he said.
