BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) unveiled its safety measures at Thursday's town hall meeting.
BCSD officials reiterated that masking is mandated in the classroom and all indoor areas. The face coverings that are cleared by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are the ones they’ll allow.
That means either surgical masks or double fabricated masks BCSD officials said bandanas and scarfs do not count. They unveiled other safety measures, which are per CDPH, Cal OSHA, and CDC guidance. While students do have to wear masks indoors, they don’t outdoors. And physical distancing will not be a requirement either.
BCSD officials also said they’ve upgraded ventilation, will be regularly cleaning and disinfecting and will be encouraging hand hygiene.
“We have not known normalcy since March 17, 2020," said Mark Luque, BCSD superintendent. "We are doing our best to ensure the safest environment for our students and staff, so our students can get back to learning in person, rebuilding relationships with their teachers, their friends, and ensuring they reach their ultimate success of academic excellence in our schools and in our district.”
In the spirit of getting back to normal, August 18 is the official back-to-school date, but school offices will be open on August 9. There will also be full student busing with students wearing masks on buses. Plus the windows will be rolled down to keep the airflow going.
Now students are going to all be back full-time, but are allowed to do a comparable virtual independent study if coming back to school is determined by parents, a hindrance to their health. BCSD officials ensured that it will be a live session taught by a live teacher for the same amount of hours and they can still come to pick up school lunch.
