High school students to finish year in distance learning

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Today’s announcement that students at Heritage and Paloma Valley high schools will remain in distance learning for the rest of the school year is just the latest development in the ongoing debate among school officials and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While most school districts in the area continue to monitor COVID-19 numbers and await further clarification from state and county health officials, the Perris Union High School District Board of Trustees voted 4-0 Wednesday night to continue distance learning for the remaining 12 weeks of the school year. Trustee Randall Freeman was absent.

The decision was made public in a Facebook post by PUHSD officials today, stating the following:

"In order to provide instructional continuity, distance learning has been extended through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Specialized cohorts will continue to be offered in conjunction with our COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP). We recognize that many of you who had concerns about returning in-person will be happy with this decision, while at the same time many of you will be disappointed because you were hoping for a return to in-person instruction.

"We took these feelings into consideration, but in the end, this decision brings a greater measure of certainty to our families while continuing to keep the health and safety of our students and staff as the highest priority. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this very trying time."

The vote was in response to an agenda item put forth by district administrators, asking for board members to consider staying in distance learning for either the next six-week period or for the rest of the school year. Previously, the distance learning issue has been brought to the board for consideration every six weeks.

Wednesday’s item included a statement from administration which, in part, stated that, “Currently, Riverside County has not attained approval to open schools in a hybrid or traditional model according to state guidelines.”

In making the motion to remain in distance learning for the rest of the school year, trustee David Nelissen said, “I believe that going another six weeks virtually and then trying to cram in the last six weeks switching to physical learning on campus would not be beneficial to the students.

“I do believe we should do all we can in every capacity to safely get a graduation [ceremony] in, but I don’t think having on-campus learning for the last six weeks would help our students.”

Trustee Anthony Stafford, who seconded the motion, expressed a concern about whether the school could be sufficiently sanitized to prevent spread of the virus.

“The truth needs to be told,” said Stafford, whose profession is supervising custodial services at schools. “I’m concerned about sanitation in restrooms and other areas where kids have bad habits. A student uses the restroom and then walks into the classroom … I have real concerns.”

During the discussion, superintendent Grant Bennett said that even if the district chose to limit distance learning to the next few weeks, the final weeks of the school year would be conducted using a hybrid learning format, with no more than 25 percent of the students on campus at any one time.

Bennett also said that graduation would “most likely be like what we did last year.” That included videotaped messages from student leaders and officials posted online, followed by a drive-through graduation where students stop briefly to pick up their diploma and pose for a photo.

Concern expressed by administrators in all local school districts this week involved the uncertain status of state and county health guidelines. On one hand, COVID-19 positivity rates have declined greatly in recent weeks; since Jan. 12, when Riverside County’s adjusted case rate per 100,000 residents was 107.2, the rate has dropped to 44.8 this week.

Unfortunately, the latest state guidelines for reopening of high schools and middle schools require that counties have no more than 7 cases per 100,000 – for elementary schools, the rate must be no more than 25 per 100,000.

Would there be enough time left in the school year to reach those numbers? Many school officials seem skeptical of that, and some wonder whether schools have already done all they can to prepare for a return if it’s even possible.

“Say we hit the number in three or four weeks,” said trustee Kyle Root at Tuesday’s meeting of the Menifee Union School District board. “Would we be ready to return? Once we hit the number, we can’t go back over. I’ve said before that if these numbers continue, we might as well plan for next year.”

MUSD board members did not take a vote on now long to continue in distance learning. While continuing to monitor state and county guidelines and awaiting updates, officials presented a plan to resume in-person instruction for special education students in small groups, hopefully as soon as early March.

Districts are also negotiating with teachers and classified employees unions in considering reopening, while also trying to evaluate the funds that might be necessary to reopen with possible requirements for regular testing of students and staff.

Shelli Sullivan, president of the Menifee Teachers Association, said today that the MTA bargaining team is in the process of creating a survey to assess the latest opinions of teachers about returning to the classroom. She did not sign a letter sent to the county superintendent of schools by representatives of 16 teachers unions, as reported by the Riverside Press-Enterprise, in which the signers urged officials to proceed cautiously while COVID-19 numbers remain above acceptable levels. (Unions affiliated with PUHSD and the Romoland School District didn’t sign the letter, either).

“I did not sign the letter with my fellow union colleagues,” Sullivan told Menifee 24/7 in an email today. “Like my union brethren, I want schools to reopen when it is safe for all parties to do so. That being said, as I had not had the opportunity to conduct a recent survey of our membership, I chose to abstain from signing.

“It has always been my intent to represent all of our members, and as I am not clear on the memberships' current point of view on this issue, I felt it best to not sign the letter to the County Superintendent.”

At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Romoland School District Board of Trustees, superintendent Trevor Painton told board members he is prepared to submit required documents to county officials stating the steps the district has taken to prepare for a possible return to campus. These documents address the Cal-OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Program and the California Department of Public Health COVID-19 School Guidance Checklist.

Painton said he is concerned, however, that “if we submit our documents, it’s still a bit of a guessing game, not knowing how the county’s requirements might differ from the state.”

According to Painton, county officials would have seven days to decide whether to deny the application and suggest revisions in the documents. Meanwhile, he is concerned that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed Safe Schools for All Plan, which includes funding to help offset the cost of testing of students and staff if required, has not been approved by the state legislature.

“Different pots of money have come in to help our funding,” Painton said. “We have some funding to help offset costs. We were also expecting CARES Act 2 funding in December, and now we’re told to expect it in March. But the debate in Sacramento could affect that.”

Painton said he has been told that regular COVID-19 testing for students and staff could cost as much as $2 million.

And what about student input on the situation? During the PUHSD meeting Wednesday night, Julie Zierold, director of curriculum and instruction, reported results of a survey of 3,407 students in the district.

Asked whether their grades were better or worse during distance learning, 49.3 percent said they were worse, 16.8 percent said they were better, and 33.9 percent said their grades were about the same. Asked what they found most difficult about the system, 31 percent said they had to care for siblings at the same time. Among the other responses, 2 percent cited mental health problems.