Students attending kindergarten through eighth grade in the Alpine Union School District will return to campuses on Sept. 21 in a hybrid learning model. For many students, it will be their first time back on campus since being sent home on March 13 in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Superintendent Richard Newman, returning students will attend classes in an A/B day learning model to reduce the number of people shifting through shared spaces on a daily basis.
There are approximately 1,750 kindergarten through eighth-grade students in the district.
“For the last several months, we have been preparing for the return of our staff and students to campus. We’ve purchased pallets of hand sanitizer, face coverings, personal protective equipment, electrostatic cleaners, Chromebooks, new digital books and tools, and much more, all with the goal of reopening our schools with a sound plan in place,” Newman said.
Special Day Class preschoolers already returned to face-to-face learning on Sept. 2.
“It went super well; parents are happy and students were ecstatic to be back in class. Our protocols that we put in place worked, everything we practiced for from the sanitation to the hygiene to the tracking of the restrooms all came together,” Newman said.
The superintendent said he wants to do anything in his power to bring all students back on campus.
“From day one, right after we closed our schools and opened up that week for picking up Chromebooks for home based learning, we began planning how to return. I can tell you, more than anything, our kids are missing connections. I believe we have one of the best distance learning programs, even so it doesn’t replace being in a classroom,” Newman said.
When they return to campus, all students in grades TK-8 will be required to wear a face-covering unless they qualify for one of the exemptions specified in the California Department of Public Health face covering guidelines. Newman said school administrators feel confident they can monitor what is or is not working with social distancing and sanitation, then make adjustments as needed.
Although back country residents fled the Valley fire and sought safety in the Joan MacQueen Middle School gymnasium, Newman said there are no plans to delay opening at this point in time.
He said the learning pods that have been utilizing the gymnasium at the middle school are not able to use the space while it is serving as an evacuation center, but electrostatic cleaning has been maintained in the gymnasium and the campus, along with others in the district is in good shape for use when students return, and the planning appears to have paid off earlier than expected.
Rolling blackouts executed by San Diego Gas and Electric to reduce strain on the power grid during especially hot days might be a factor to consider if they happen during school hours, he said, but at this point believes all the schools will open on time.
“Nobody’s been on campus for lessons in five months, they’re the safest place in the country. Our classified staff has been back for a month already, getting ready. We know there’s a lot of uncertainty but we have a moral responsibility to bring our kids back,” Newman said.
