LOCAL GOV: School board expands reopening plans as parents and teachers debate hybrid classrooms

By Lewis Herring-Tillman,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The Davis Joint Unified School District board met Thursday to refine their plans for an eventual return to campus and introduced new early education hybrid schedules. In public comment, parents and teachers disagreed over when to reopen and how to do it.

Laura Juanitas, DJUSD Associate Superintendent of Student Support services, began the meeting by providing an update on the spread of COVID-19 in Yolo County. Case and positivity rates have gone down significantly in the past two weeks, although the drop in the positivity rate is partially due to a data error.

Despite vaccine distribution increasing, Juanitas believes there is still much to be done. 

“Unless substantial action is taken, it will be a number of weeks before educators can start getting vaccinated,” Juanitas said.

Nearly all of the 53 public comments mentioned a return to in-person schooling. Hogan Hayes, a parent and professor at California State University, Sacramento, criticized what he called the district’s lack of clear messaging.

“This failure to lead is creating a rift in our community,” Hayes wrote. “Please do your jobs.”

Davis High teacher Christine Baker wrote that she preferred to stay in distance learning for the rest of the academic year.

“Half of my students will be on campus while half will be at home — and all of them will be in a Zoom meeting,” Baker wrote. “Returning to a hybrid model will only disrupt the careful planning and community building that teachers have established in their online classrooms.”

Alan Krivanek, a parent of two DJUSD students, wrote of his disappointment in the district for not reopening earlier. “Overly stringent standards are hindering your primary mission […] this will be a disservice to the students and to the community.”

Director of Elementary Education Matt Duffy presented a revised hybrid plan for elementary schools, and the district-run preschool. The elementary plan divides students into three groups; groups A and B will participate in some in-person activities while group C will stay in distance learning.

In the new plan, elementary in-person schooling will take place in the morning. Lunch will be at home, and the afternoons will be used to clean classrooms. The preschool and elementary school systems are similar, with more free time in the preschool schedule.