When Will Sacramento County Schools Reopen?

Sacramento County schools could possibly reopen in Mid-October due to the improving COVID-19 infection rates. Before schools can reopen the state will have to win approval from the Sacramento County Public Health officials on September 29th. 

Sacramento county moved down from the purple tier, which is the highest covid infection risk, to the red tier. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says that local health officers must review local community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions, and consult with CDPH when considering a waiver request. 

When reopening Sacramento county schools, many precautions will be taken. Unicef says that some practical measures that schools can take are staggering the start and close of the school day, staggering mealtimes, moving classes to temporary spaces or outdoors, holding school in shifts, and reducing class size. Administrative staff and teachers should also be trained on physical distancing and school hygiene practices.

Mr. Voison, a Social Science teacher at McClatchy highschool shared his input on how he feels about school campuses reopening. He said, “I most certainly want to go back to teaching on campus. Although I cannot speak for my colleagues I know that almost all of them feel the same. We know that distance teaching, like distance learning, is a very poor substitute for in-class instruction.”

He also discussed as far as reopening, No district or school has come up with a safe, workable plan.

Mr. Johnston, a McClatchy English teacher, had a different point of view on going back to school. He stated, “There’s no easy answer here. I miss going to work and seeing my students in person, absolutely. And I know that many students are not handling the isolation of lockdown well—and neither am I, if I’m being honest. The stresses of being forced to stay home are causing all sorts of problems for my family.

But having to wear masks all day long in warm classrooms isn’t going to work for a lot of people, and when we see that every school system that goes back is having a rise in infections, it seems clear to me that it’s too soon to even consider it.”

Mr. Johnston believed that the school districts should wait until there is an effective vaccine. Even though he missed going to work outside of his home and seeing his students and fellow colleagues, he wants to be able to do so in good health and not risk getting an illness that could kill him or leave him with lifelong health problems.

More than 30 Sacramento County private schools have already received approval to reopen their campuses before Tuesday. Private schools can bring middle school and high school students back to the classroom as soon as mid-October, says The Sacramento Bee. Students may be going back to campus soon, but many health precautions will be taken.