The San Marino school board had been expected to vote Tuesday evening on an action item to decide if the 2020-21 academic year would begin via distance learning rather than the traditional in-person method — or perhaps with a combination of the two.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent directive that all school campuses remain physically closed in counties that appeared on the state’s monitoring list due to increasing COVID-19 cases may have at least temporarily put an end to the discussion.
At press time Tuesday afternoon, San Marino Unified School District Board of Education President Joseph Chang had confirmed that the item remained on the agenda for the July 21 meeting, but said the panel could decide to transfer the matter into the category of “information only” and table the vote until a later date.
“It is possible that we will just agree tonight to follow Gov. Newsom’s order” and cancel a vote, Chang told The Tribune in a phone interview. A statement from the district’s superintendent, meanwhile, indicated the school system is ready to proceed with distance learning.
Newsom announced on Friday, July 17, that any schools located in Los Angeles County, public or private, cannot physically reopen until the county has spent 14 consecutive days off the monitoring list. The directive extends to all SMUSD schools, including before- and after-school activities, all athletic and extracurricular practices and competitions and all weekend events. Factors determining whether a county is placed on the monitoring list include hospitalization rate, positive testing rate and the number of new infections.
More than half of California’s counties are currently on the list, including Los Angeles.
Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles and San Diego unified school districts scrapped any plans of opening the upcoming school year with in-person education, opting instead for remote or distance learning.
Before the end of the 2019-20 school year, the SMUSD launched a 70-member School Reopening Task Force consisting of parents, medical personnel, city officials, students and district administration and staff. The group researched matters such as social-emotional wellness, family and community engagement, and health and safety to assure “a safe, reliable, rigorous and engaging school experience for all of our students,” according to a statement from the SMUSD.
“Our district was preparing to reopen on Aug. 12, 2020, for possible hybrid in-classroom, at-home instruction or distance learning instruction, and although we were making great progress in welcoming back our students and staff, the governor’s order will prevent us from physically reopening our doors in August,” Superintendent Jeff Wilson said in a statement. “Based on the governor’s mandate, we will now start the year using a 100% virtual model of teaching and rigorous learning.”
San Marino High School is continuing with its plans to stage a drive-thru graduation ceremony for its class of 2020 on Friday, July 31, according to Principal Jason Kurtenbach.
SMUSD to Start Year Via Distance Learning
