Starting this week, K-12 schools in Orange County have the green light to welcome students and staff back for in-person instruction.
That’s because the county’s coronavirus case and test positivity rates have put it in the second most restrictive “tier” of the state’s coronavirus framework for two weeks.
Over the summer, when Orange County was still in the first tier on the state’s coronavirus monitoring system -- indicating “widespread” risk of community disease transmission -- schools needed waivers to reopen campuses. Cypress School District and Capistrano Unified had their waivers denied recently due to low support from their teachers and staff.
But that won’t have any bearing on their ability to reopen now that the county’s in the red -- or “substantial” risk of community disease transmission -- tier, according to Orange County Health Care Agency director and county health officer Clayton Chau.
Read the rest of Carla’s story on LAist.com
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Carla Javier, KPCC reporter covering education, who’s been following the story; she tweets at
Jerry Almendarez, superintendent of schools for Santa Ana Unified School District; he tweets
Erik Silberman, science teacher at Aliso Niguel High School, part of Capistrano Unified School District, for 20 years and a parent of two students in the district