Stanislaus County to Newsom: It’s time to end COVID closures, reopen high schools
Stanislaus County supervisors approved sending a letter asking Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to prioritize reopening of schools that were closed by the battle against coronavirus.
Stanislaus is one of 11 counties that remain in the most restrictive purple tier of the state’s plan for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. That tier does not allow middle schools and high schools to reopen for students who have been on distance learning for the past year.
Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday evening to send the letter, asking for reconsideration of “state COVID metrics delaying middle and high school youth from returning to in-person learning.”
An Oakdale parent supported the board action.
“Our students have suffered and sacrificed so much over the past year and continue do so,” said Heather Oliveira, who has three children attending Oakdale High School. “Some of our students have been completely lost via the distance learning.”
The county letter makes the point that elementary schools that opened in the fall have operated with low coronavirus transmission, even in an environment of moderate to high community transmission.
Supervisors didn’t take any other action as the county tries for a second straight week to meet criteria for a move to red tier, which would settle the issue and allow in-class instruction for middle and high school students.
The county met the red tier requirements, in a state update Tuesday, with testing positivity data below 5 percent. But the county needs to meet the criteria for two consecutive weeks.
The state update next week is crucial. It could move the county to the less restrictive tier, but failure would start the clock again, delaying promotion to red tier until April 6 or later.
If that were to happen, the appeal to the state for flexibility could be the only hope of getting the students back in schools.
County Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes said the Newsom administration receives a constant barrage of communications about coronavirus policy from counties and other jurisdictions. Stanislaus leaders hope their letter about reopening schools finds a way through to the governor’s desk.
Clock has started again for nearby county
Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county public health officer, noted that San Joaquin County was poised for tier promotion this week, but did not meet the criteria for a second straight week and will remain in the purple tier for a fortnight. “That is a blow to them I am sure,” Vaishampayan said.
According to the state update, Stanislaus County’s adjusted daily case rate was 11.8 per 100,000 population. The California Department of Public Health requires a case rate at or below 10 per 100,000 and testing positivity for the entire county below 8 percent. The county can also get to red tier next week by posting a second straight week of testing positivity and health equity numbers below 5 percent.
Vaishampayan said new COVID-19 cases have declined in Modesto and other cities in the last six weeks, while the case numbers have come down more slowly in Oakdale.
Supervisor Terry Withrow said the county has received criticism for commenting on school matters during the pandemic when school districts are responsible for public education. But a breakdown in education will ultimately increase the next generation of county “customers” who seek mental health services, foster care and other services, Withrow said.
