Where things stand for schools in and near Stanislaus after coronavirus scramble
As of Friday evening, just about every school district in and near Stanislaus County had decided to stay closed through spring.
The coronavirus has forced students to do distance learning from home for a few weeks now. Until this week, hope lingered that they might get at least some time in real classrooms.
The mood shifted after administrators heard concerns from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of instruction. They felt that COVID-19 was too great a risk to allow children and teens to congregate anytime soon.
Here’s the latest:
Stanislaus County
All 25 school districts announced Wednesday that campuses would stay shut through spring. They closed March 19 with the initial hope of reopening within a month. They then set a May 4 target that is now gone.
Distance learning entails online classes, printed materials and other means of educating kids safely amid a pandemic. The schools are working with families to get through it all.
“Teachers are really being asked to basically pivot at the drop of a hat to an entirely new way of delivering curriculum and teaching children,” said Scott Kuykendall, county school superintendent, in an interview last month with The Modesto Bee.
Sara Noguchi, superintendent of Modesto City Schools, talked in a separate interview about her district’s plans for laptop computers, meals, graduation and other topics.
Friday, a Modesto City Schools parent emailed The Bee asking if families who paid $300 for their students to make the now-canceled senior trip to Disneyland would be issued refunds. “During these trying times, that $300 can make a difference for many families, with or without the COVID-19 crisis,” the parent said.
An email from The Bee to district administration received a quick response. Krista Noonan, chief communications officer, said the district’s goal is to refund families for the money they spent out of pocket for the deposits on senior and eighth-grade trips.
“There are many complexities and timelines that go along with that process, and we are working toward a solution. We will keep families posted on how we will be moving forward,” she wrote. “Our goal is to make families complete for the out-of-pocket dollars they spent for their deposits, so we are figuring out accounting logistics across the various school sites.
“It’s important to note that any dollars that may be refunded to students/families would not include amounts that students fundraised toward a trip. For example, if a student fundraised $100 out of the $300 for their trip (such as by selling candy), they would only be refunded $200 since that was their out-of-pocket expense. The 100 fundraiser dollars would stay in the school’s ASB (associated student body) account for future use for student activities and trips. That’s just an example, there are still a lot of calculations that we are working on.”
Other counties, diocese
All but one of San Joaquin County’s 15 school districts have extended their closures through spring, after hoping for an April 20 reopening.
The Manteca Unified School District as of Sunday morning still had a March 26 letter to families as the latest update on its website. The letter says, “We are optimistic about returning to our physical classrooms on May 18.” A news release March 30 reaffirmed that, stating, “Manteca Unified School District Board of Trustees in collaboration with District leadership unanimously voted to transition to distance learning for all students through May 15, 2020, and resuming instruction in the classroom beginning May 18 , 2020.”
All 20 of Merced County’s school districts have announced that campuses will be closed through spring. The Merced Union High School District did so Wednesday, April 1, and others followed Thursday. Distance learning will continue.
Tuolumne County on Friday joined in the move to close schools through spring. Officials had hoped for a May 4 reopening. County Superintendent Cathy Parker discussed the upcoming distance learning in an online update.
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Stockton now plan to remain closed through spring, according to an update Friday from Bishop Myron Cotta. Reopening campuses is still possible “if public health officers deem it safe for them to do so,” he said.
Bee reporter Deke Farrow contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 5, 2020 at 11:40 AM.
