SFUSD Will Start School Year With Distanced Learning

The San Francisco Unified School District says it will start the coming school year with remote classes on Aug. 17, a district spokesperson confirmed to KQED on Wednesday.

The district will assess data later in the fall to see if classes can return to staggered, in-person instruction, officials announced in a press release.

The district plans to provide a more detailed presentation on July 28 about how it plans to improve remote learning.

SFUSD officials said the district will continue to prioritize the following goals: "attending to the wellness and wellbeing of students and families; providing free meals to all students who need them; and engaging each and every student in remote learning opportunities, both digital and non-digital."

“We had some bright spots but mostly teachers and families suffered. We have to do better, we will do better," said Mark Sanchez, president of the San Francisco Board of Education. "We have to use this time leading up to and beyond the opening of schools to make sure we prepare. We have to prioritize the students that we know through distance learning got the least."

Throughout the spring and summer, the district held several multilingual town halls where teachers and community members discussed learning and logistics for the fall.

School districts in Oakland, Los Angeles and San Diego have all said classes will be remote at least at the start of the school year.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been pushing for schools to reopen — despite concerns from teachers and parents about safety as parts of the country, including California, see a surge in new COVID-19 cases.

More on school reopenings throughout California: Growing Number of California School Districts Opt for Distance Learning in the Fall

— Marnette Federis (@mfederis)