After two school years of closures and reopenings, in-person learning is making a comeback.
"We expect all of our kids are going to be back in person, full-time instruction in the next few months,” Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday. “We're providing historic support to make sure that's done safely and make sure resources are available for our kids to have that full enrichment in person."
On Friday, Governor Newsom was excited about getting students back into the classroom, after Coronavirus affected countless students around the state. While the governor was signinga $123.9 billion education package Friday, more officials would have news around a safe return to school.
Kern High School District board officials are also ready for students to head back to class, following updated guidelines announced Friday from The CDC.
That's where the best learning takes place: with in-person instruction, and now we can do it in a safe manner,” KHSD Board Trustee Jeff Flores said.
According to the CDC, now vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks inside school building, but masks are still a must for unvaccinated people, along with social distancing. State health officials have aligned their guidelines on heading back to school based on the new recommendation but also say maintaining three or more feet of space between students may be a challenge in some schools.
That's why the California Department of Public Health is not recommending physical distancing to California schools but will continue mask wearing indoors for students and they will also move forward with a "robust testing program."
"Our district can accommodate a three-foot distancing requirement, so maybe there's going to be a special consideration for those districts that can adhere to that,” Flores said. “Maybe we can take advantage of that. If they say no, we'll still abide by the California health guidance as well."
They’ll will release their updated stance on a safe return to school on Monday.
23ABC followed up with the Kern County superintendent of schools on the announcement and they provided the following statement: “We look forward to working closely with Kern’s 46 school districts to review and ensure compliance of any new guidance as we prepare for the upcoming school year."
Flores said as they near August, the board and the district will be finalizing what the return to full in-person learning looks like for KHSDin accordance with CDPH and CDC guidelines.
