By Collin Breaux | Email: cbreaux@picketfencemedia.com | Twitter: @collin_breaux
Gov. Gavin Newsom said schools could reopen by late July or early August during an announcement on Tuesday, though no definitive decisions have been made.
LIVE NOW: Governor @GavinNewsom lays out parameters and tools needed before the state modifies California’s statewide stay-at-home orders and other broad #COVID19 interventions. https://t.co/r0WJnqcXVP
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) April 14, 2020
“We recognize there’s been a learning loss because of this disruption,” Newsom said. “We’re concerned about that learning loss into the summer, and so we are considering the prospect of an even earlier school year into the fall.”
Preparation should be made for the physical and environmental changes in the schools to “advance that conversation,” Newsom said. Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) transitioned starting in March to distance learning, or online instruction, after statewide campus closures.
CUSD officials are considering a “do no harm” approach to grading in which students would not be penalized for adverse effects from the pandemic, and have not yet made a decision on graduation due to physical distancing guidelines and rapidly changing circumstances from the crisis. Some parents have called for schools to reopen and graduation ceremonies to take place.
Newsom discussed general aspects of businesses and the state economy gradually reopening, saying numerous benchmarks have to be met, including with coronavirus testing.
“We’ve made real progress in that space—not nearly where we want to go and need to be, but real progress we are seeing in this space,” Newsom said.
A statewide stay-at-home order was issued by Newsom in March, with people generally encouraged to only venture out for food or other essential services. Some people in South Orange County have called for businesses and other aspects of society to reopen.
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