State Reduces Kid Space
Mar 24, 2021 12:00AM ● By Emily Hoeven, Cal Matters.OrgWith kids heading back to school, sort of, how will a part-time schedule change the lives of single parents trying to get back to work full-time? MPG/File photo
Desk-spacing rule: will more schools reopen full-time?
California just made it significantly easier for K-12 schools to bring students back to campus full-time — but some of the state’s largest districts and most powerful unions are pushing back, suggesting that hundreds of thousands of students may not receive daily in-person instruction this school year.
Student desks should now be kept a minimum of 3 feet apart, down from the previously recommended 6 feet, according to guidelines the California Department of Public Health released Saturday. The revision came a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced its spacing recommendations from 6 to 3 feet and less than a week after a superior court judge blocked California from enforcing its spacing rules because of their impact on students’ educational equality. The state on Saturday (March 20) also made it easier for middle and high schools to reopen in the most restrictive purple tier.
The new spacing guidelines quadruple the number of students who can sit in a classroom at one time, paving the way for schools to transition from hybrid learning to full-time in-person instruction. But the final decision still rests with local districts and teachers unions and many have struck reopening deals contingent on desks being 6 feet apart.
The California Teachers Association also appeared to oppose the new guidelines, which it framed as “another confusing message” that could result in “cramming young adults into classrooms.”
The backlash could increase pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue an executive order compelling schools to reopen full-time. Although Newsom said last week on CNN that he’s “been living through Zoom school,” Politico reported Friday that his four children have been attending in-person classes since October.
Meanwhile, many special-needs students appear to have regressed socially, physically and academically after having spent more than a year without critical in-person services, CalMatters reports.
The coronavirus bottom line: As of Sunday, (March 21) California had 3,545,278 confirmed cases (+0.1% from previous day) and 56,118 deaths (+0.1% from previous day), according to a CalMatters tracker.
California has administered 14,520,575 vaccine doses.