School leaders in the Bay Area are working on developing timelines for students to safely return to the classroom, even as COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the region and the nation.
San Francisco Unified School District is looking to have plans for reopening finalized in less than a month while Palo Alto Unified is awaiting approval for its hybrid plan.
Both districts have the complicated task of creating a plan that would ensure the safety of their students, and in San Francisco, school trustees have set a deadline of Dec. 8 to hear that plan, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The plan so far includes a specific start date of Jan. 25 for some students with disabilities as well as first graders and younger. Higher elementary grades would be phased in. The district then has until January to create a plan for middle and high school students.
The plan must include how to incorporate social distancing, an adequate custodial staff for cleaning and sanitizing and proper ventilation. The cost could be as much as $84 million, according to the Examiner.
SFUSD is expected to release details of its progress at the next school board meeting in seven days.
Meanwhile, school leaders in Palo Alto have unveiled their hybrid plan, and if it's approved by the school board, classrooms are expected to reopen Jan. 7.
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Under the plan, the second half of the school year will be different than in years past. Students will enter campus at assigned times using specific entrances; there won't be lockers; students will be expected to use assigned seats; and school lunches will be in a grab-and-go style.
