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Livermore students attending preschool through 12th grade will be able to return to their respective campuses on March 22 following the Board of Education’s unanimous vote last week to approve the recommendation of Superintendent Kelly Bowers to end the school closures.
Families will still have the option to continue distance learning through the end of the school year if preferred during the COVID-19 pandemic under the plan adopted by the board on Feb. 25.
“Our classrooms are ready for students. We have installed air filtration systems, we have sanitization processes in place, and we have the personal protective equipment needed for our staff and students,” deputy superintendent Chris Van Schaack said in a statement announcing the reopening plan.
“We have been anticipating and preparing for this return,” Bowers added. “More details from principals will be forthcoming next week, and families will be allowed a defined window of opportunity to review and firmly commit to the modality they prefer for the remainder of this academic year, through June 10, 2021.”
The start date was chosen to coincide with the majority of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District staff members receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, according to district officials.
They said they also wanted to be able to bring all grade levels back at the same time, and March 22 aligns with the timeframe that Alameda County is expected to move into the less-restrictive red tier, which allows secondary schools to reopen.
“We do anticipate being in the red tier by (March 22) based on the current numbers — which are very close to that — and the predictions by Dr. Nicholas Moss, our Alameda County Public Health director, who has really more of an inside track on where we’re headed and sees our COVID cases declining,” community engagement director Philomena Rambo told the Weekly.
For students who return to campus, in-person learning will be offered four days each week, with Wednesday remaining a day of online classes with early dismissal to allow time for professional development for teachers, according to the district.
Elementary students will have a choice to attend school in the mornings or participate in distance learning in the afternoons. Middle and high school students who choose to return to campus will be able to meet in person two days each week and will join their distance learning peers on other days.
According to the district, this model was designed for students to maintain required physical distancing based on the estimated numbers of students who prefer in-person learning.
Middle and high school teachers will instruct students online while simultaneously teaching those who are in the classroom.
“We’re able to do that very easily because of the fact that our students are using a learning management system called Schoology and all of their lessons and resources are online,” Rambo said. Some teachers will also be using a camera similar to a GoPro, which will allow the students at home to be able to see their teacher in addition to hearing them.
All in-person instruction will end each day at lunchtime and students will be offered take-home lunches and dinners on their way out. Students who continue distance learning also have the option to pick up meals to take back home with them.
“We are happy to be able to continue providing lunch and supper to all LVJUSD students, free-of-charge, through the end of the school year, whether they are learning at home or at school,” child nutrition director Dana Dodge said.
More information about LVJUSD reopening is available at livermoreschools.org/reopening.
