STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — After Stanislaus County missed their window to transition to the red tier and reopen schools this week, county leaders are calling out Governor Gavin Newsom to let kids return to the classroom.
Modesto City Schools (MCS) was ready to welcome back some of their junior high and high school students in a hybrid learning model, but, due to the red tier delay, it didn’t happen this week.
“We had communicated with families that that was our hope and that (March 15) was the date that we anticipated being able to welcome our first cohort of students back to campus. But unfortunately, the county didn’t make the red tier, so we’ve had to postpone our reopening date,” said Becky Fortuna, spokesperson for MCS.
On Tuesday, health officials said Stanislaus County could move into the red tier on March 23, if they maintain or improve their current metrics.
The letter from the county calling for school reopenings has a simple goal: let kids, regardless of their age, go back to school. The drafted letter was also signed off on by the county health officer. It said that schools are able to operate safely even with moderate to high transmission rates.
“Nearly all of our elementary schools have operated throughout the peak of our second wave of COVID-19 cases, with public health data showing less than 3% of school cases attributed to school transmission,” the letter said.
For Board Supervisor Terry Withrow, nothing justifies students being kept out of the classroom. He believes there's too much politics at play on the subject.
“It’s just about the kids. We just want to get the kids back in school and get them healthy, mentally and physically, and learning again,” said Withrow. “That’s what it’s all about. Damn the politics. Let’s take care of these kids. Let’s get them back in school, and we can have our own fights outside, but don’t subject the kids to the politics.”
Withrow has been outspoken about the closures, emphasizing the impact they have on the least advantaged students who rely on schools for food and health. He noted that he never supported removing students from the classrooms.
“Here we are a year down the road, there is so much more data. We have so much more facts of what this virus is, how it affects people, how it affects kids, and if you just look it just logically, there’s no sense for the kids not to be back in school,” Withrow said.
At MCS, Fortuna said the COVID-19 case rates have been low. According to the district’s coronavirus dashboard, there have been 42 student cases and 205 staff cases since reopening with hybrid learning for elementary students. This is out of a total of 9,255 students and staff that are actually on MCS campuses since elementary students returned in a hybrid model back in November.
Following guidance from the CDC and California Department of Public Health, MCS was recently able to allow their elementary students to return to in-person instruction four days a week if parents chose to do so. The change came about due to a reduction in distancing requirements for the students that allowed more desks in the classrooms.
As far as entering the red tier and bringing their other students back safely, Fortuna said the district is ready.
However, Withrow is among many who want to see a full-time return to the classroom for students.
“It’s because we care so much about the kids that we want to get them back into school,” Withrow said. “We have the data and facts to show how damaging this is (keeping students out of school).”
Fortuna said that MCS would love to bring all their students back five days a week, but current guidelines don’t allow for it.
“We do get inquiries from families who express concern about why students aren’t back full time, and what we say is we understand the frustration,” Fortuna said. “We would love to be able to welcome your students back full time, but in order to comply with the health and safety guidelines put forth by the California Department of Public Health, we’re unable to do that at this time.”
The vote on the letter also comes after Stanislaus County Superintendent Scott Kuykendall and Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer, called out a disconnect in CDPH guidelines in February that saw fewer restrictions for school sports than school reopenings. The drafted letter to Gov. Newsom also calls out that many students are able to play sports or plan a trip to Disneyland over spring break but can’t go to school.
In the letter, the county posed a question to Governor Newsom about schools given the information available on spread and transmission rates among children.
“We ask that you reflect on what we know today about COVID-19, and recognize the only reasonable conclusion to these questions. If we would not remove a child who is already attending school, how can we justify keeping any child who wants to go to school from that opportunity?” the letter said.
Withrow believes the data doesn’t support keeping kids out of the classroom.
“We’re reaching out to the governor’s office and saying just that, that the numbers are changing constantly. You’re tweaking things, but if you really look at today, where we are today, if kids were in school right now, would you say they all need to leave school? No, you wouldn’t,” Withrow said.
The Board of Supervisors approved the letter unanimously.
