SLO County district resumes in-person classes: ‘This place is nothing without the students’
Parents said bittersweet goodbyes to their kids as they were greeted in person by enthusiastic teachers for the first time since March, when the coronavirus pandemic shut down classrooms across San Luis Obispo County.
About 450 students and 35 teachers began in-person instruction across Atascadero Unified School District’s seven elementary school campuses on Monday.
Students in transitional kindergarten through second grade returned to campus under a hybrid learning plan, while the rest, around 500 students, remained in distance learning to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The excitement and happiness shared by students and teachers was obvious as the kids began arriving at elementary school campuses just after 8 a.m. Monday.
Parents said they were relieved and glad to send their kids off to in-person instruction.
“It’s super exciting to see him go off to class and finally get that milestone of being in kindergarten,” said Elizabeth Enriquez-Phillips, whose son, Wally, attends kindergarten at San Benito Road Elementary School in Atascadero.
Enriquez-Phillips said Wally adjusted to distance learning, but she feels having in-person class is worth it.
“Hopefully our (COVID-19 case) numbers stay low,” she said. “We feel really safe with the teachers and the staff, what they’ve done in terms of safety measures. Fingers crossed (that) everything stays low and everyone washes their hands and does everything they’re supposed to do.”
Students were required to do a self-evaluation before arriving on campus, looking for any signs of symptoms of the new coronavirus. Once on campus, parents were asked to remain in their cars as they dropped off their kids.
Then students washed their hands for 20 seconds before sitting at their desks, which are spaced apart to allow physical distancing. All students, teachers and any other staff on campus grounds are required to wear face masks at all times.
At the Atascadero district, students who opted for in-person learning are in classrooms for the first half of the day, while those remaining in distance learning attend virtually in the afternoon.
Tiffany Sims, an Atascadero Unified kindergarten teacher, said putting together the hybrid schedule was “a giant puzzle.”
“The normal contracted teacher hours became non-existent,” Sims said. “My mind and body has been working 24/7 these past weeks to ensure a happy, safe educational environment for our students.”
“It’s a lot of work. I think the more we do it, it’ll become more manageable,” Sims added. “I definitely have never worked so hard in my 25 years (of teaching), for sure.”
Sims said her entire classroom at San Benito Road Elementary had to change in order to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines. Normally, students sit on the floor in groups and have easy access to plenty of toys during the school day.
Now, they have to sit in desks and the only materials they’re allowed to touch have already been placed on their desk.
Christine Williams, the president of the Atascadero District Teachers Association, said the most important part in the district’s plan was the “layers of protection for the students and teachers.”
Those include better ventilation in classrooms, increased hand washing and sanitation measures, COVID-19 testing of teachers and physical distancing, Williams said.
Atascadero Unified’s move to in-person learning came after a lot of contention from parents around the issue. School board meetings were often inundated with public comments from concerned parents and teachers who were unsure about the district’s plan to send students back.
Parents even said that discussions in Facebook groups became “vicious” with parents expressing opposing positions.
The district allowed for parents to choose whether they would send their kids to school or keep them in distance learning.
Out of the parents with students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade, 48% chose to send their kids to in-person school, while 52% chose to keep their children in distance learning, district Superintendent Tom Butler said at an Oct. 20 board meeting.
SLO County school districts bring students back to campus
Atascadero Unified is not the first in the county to bring students back for in-person classes. Thirteen private schools and one small district, Pleasant Valley Joint Union Elementary School District, have had students back for at least two weeks.
San Luis Coastal Unified School District brought some preschool and transitional kindergarten students back to campus for in-person learning on Monday, and Paso Robles Joint Unified School District will return transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students to classrooms on Tuesday.
Sims, the kindergarten teacher, said all parents’ choices are valid — whether they decide to send their kids to in-person classes or keep them in distance learning.
“Of course, I think in-person will be amazing and that is ultimately where I hope education leads to once again,” she said. “But at the same time, I do not want to devalue the choice parents have. Every family has different health, financial, religious and other situations, and ultimately the decision comes down to what works best for their family.”
Cotton Tichy, whose daughter Clover is a kindergarten student at San Benito Road Elementary, said he wanted to send her to in-person classes because she’s extremely social and distance learning was difficult to manage as a single father.
“The online learning was just a lot of computer stuff that she didn’t really understand how to do,” he said. “She’s a pretty social kid, too, so she’s happy to see the other kids in person again.”
Several parents appeared emotional as they dropped their kids off at San Benito Road Elementary on Monday, and they weren’t the only ones.
School Principal Kathryn Holmes said having students back in classrooms changed the entire campus atmosphere.
“This place is nothing without the students,” Holmes said. “You have no idea how much of a relief this is to finally have them back.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 2:51 PM.
