San Francisco school officials announced more details Monday about the plan to start returning elementary and some older students back to classrooms next month. Last week, the district reached a tentative agreement with the teachers union on reopening schools.
Students in prekindergarten through second grade, plus older elementary school children with disabilities or in county programs, will be the first to come back, beginning April 12, said Vincent Matthews, superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District.
The district, which instructs some 57,000 students, will bring back third through fifth graders, as well as some at-risk middle and high school students, including those who are homeless or in foster care, as early as April 26. The remaining middle and high school students will have to continue taking online classes for now, Matthews said. Opening dates could be delayed pending the approval by the city’s public health department of all safety requirements for each school site.
“Families are struggling with spending a year in distance learning. We truly wish we could return to in-person learning for everyone,” Matthews said during a Zoom press conference. “We are committed to doing everything we can to get as many students back into in-person learning as soon as we possibly can.”
Officials said that depending on available space, families will be able to choose five days of in-person instruction or a hybrid model. Remaining completely in distance learning will be an option for families who do not wish their children to attend in person.
Last week, SFUSD sent 4,000 access codes to teachers and staffers to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments. The district plans to distribute more codes in coming weeks.
