SMMUSD Still Struggling To Come Up With Reopening Plans, As Other Districts Warned They May Reclose

The COVID 19 trends in Los Angeles and Ventura counties … are deeply troubling to local health officials.

The local school district has again delayed even starting talks with parents and teachers about reopening …  starting in person classes for the smallest kids.

Superintendent Ben Drati says the school board decision on partial reopening… which was to be made next week … will now be pushed back into mid December.

But it really doesn’t matter … as the worsening resurgence of COVID-19 may mean all those newly reopened schools in L A County will again shut down.

Another total countywide shutdown.

L A County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned school leaders yesterday in a call that is reported in the Los Angeles Times.

“I need to ask that every school be prepared for virtual learning, distance learning, in January,”  Ferrer said.

A handful of public schools … including in Calabasas … have reopened school doors to the very youngest kids … up to grade 2.

In Malibu … the Santa Monica school superintendent again told parents last night that no such plans are in the immediate works here.

Principals this week are meeting with teachers and parents to explain various options for reopening schools.

“We are learning that there is a high degree of anxiety about coming back for in-person, on-campus instruction” Drati says in a memo to parents.

Also: “ divergent views on the hybrid approach and its potential impact on teaching and learning.”

Translation.

Teachers are deathly afraid of returning.

And some parents say their kids need to be in schools to socialize and learn.

Drati again indicates there in not even consensus yet on what the so-called hybrid program should look like.

He wants to convene a series of meetings … each of the 17 schools in the district sending two parent leaders and two teachers.

Teachers union and employee union reps also. 

The virtual meetings are to take place in the next two weeks.

While Santa Monica Malibu is mired in talks and negotiations …  74 public schools in L A County have reopened for kids from prekindergarten to grade 2.

But given the present trend … in the next few days … all of the schools in L A County will close again.

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The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) continues to see significant increases in key indicators, including daily new cases and test positivity rates.

To date, Public Health identified 330,450 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 7,221 deaths.

 Malibu 128.

Santa Moncia Mountains 154.

Since last week, L.A. County has experienced over 2,000 new cases nearly every day.

That is nearly 50 percent higher than the case rate just 10 days ago.

And double the rate of one month ago.

The County’s test positivity rate, or the percentage of tests that come back positive, has increased from an average of about 3.6% six weeks ago … to about 5.9% today.   

Deeply troubling and more evidence of accelerating community transmission.

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