HUMBOLDT, Calif.(KIEM)- Students head back to school after winter break amid another covid surge. As students head back after winter break, schools might be concerned about the number of students, potentially positive for covid.
Schools around the state have taken different approaches as students head back to the classrooms. Still, Loleta Elementary school District and Eureka City schools keep the same protocols in place for the most part before the winter break.
“The things that we have learned through covid is first off remote instruction is nowhere near the level of instruction that we have in person. The second thing that we have learned is that the transfer of covid within schools has been minor. With those things in mind, we have decided to continue forward with in-person learning,” said Fred Van. Vleck “Superintendent at Eureka City Schools.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state would be ordering at-home covid-19 tests for students returning from winter break. Most schools have received those tests and will be handing them out to parents recommending that parents get their kids tested but are not required to.
Loleta Elementary school District, on the other hand, started testing students on Sunday and has continued testing students today as well.
“It’s wonderful that the state is giving us these rapid antigen tests. I think it’s such a giving spirit to help protect our schools and our students, and we are really excited to reiterate and reinforce our mask-wearing policies and are washing hands policies and keep everything going the way we have since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Autumn L. Chapman, Superintendent for Loleta Elementary School District.
While some schools have chosen to go remote for the next two weeks, Eureka City Schools have extended their days.
“We extended our school day by 12 minutes, and the reason for the twelve minutes is to help make up some of the time. Some of the instructional time was lost during covid and distance learning. We worked with our collective barging association and teachers association and classified association to extend our school day,” said Autumn L. Chapman.
While the reasons are unknown, both school districts had a spike in absences on the first day back from school.
