Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Relate/Polaris

Photo: Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle/Polaris

This Q & A is being updated to reflect latest developments. It was last updated Sept. 11 at 6 p.m.

Q: What challenges do schools face to delivering online learning to all students?

A: I of the biggest challenges to switching to distance learning for many districts has been little to no access to computers or internet at dwelling.

California needs more than 700,000 laptops and 300,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to connect all students to the internet from home, according to recent estimates from the California Section of Instruction.

To fill those gaps, the California Section of Education launched a statewide task forcefulness focused on connecting students with applied science at home and created the California Bridging the Digital Carve up Fund to collect donations of funds and engineering science to students in preschool through 12th grade. Individual contributions can be made through the GoFundMe campaign. Institutional and corporate donors are invited to contact Mary Nicely at mnicely@cde.ca.gov.

The California state budget also includes $v.3 billion in "Learning Loss Mitigation Funding" that school districts tin can apply for to help pay for distance learning and strategies to help students overcome learning loss.

Q: When can schools open for in-person didactics?

A: Gov. Newsom issued new guidance on Aug. 28 that changed the mode the state monitors counties to determine when schools can open for in-person instruction. He introduced a four-tiered, colour-coded arrangement that tracks counties by the number of new Covid-19 cases per day and the percentage of positive cases out of the total tests averaged over seven days.

Purple, or Tier i, indicates that the virus is widespread in the county and public and individual schools cannot reopen for in-person teaching unless they receive an uncomplicated waiver for students in grades One thousand-vi or are following guidance for small groups of children, known as "cohorts." Red (Tier 2) indicates "substantial" spread of the virus, while orange (Tier 3) indicates "moderate" spread and yellow (Tier 4) indicates "minimal" spread of the virus in the canton.

Counties that move from regal to crimson can open up for in-person educational activity subsequently they accept remained in the red tier for xiv days. Schools that open while their county is rated ruby, but then move back up to regal may remain open, but must increase Covid-19 testing for staff, according to reopening guidance released July 17.

However, schools must close if five% of staff and/or students have tested positive within a 14-solar day period, and districts must close if ane-quarter of the schools in the district have closed inside fourteen days due to Covid-xix cases.

Q. What plans are being made for California schools to reopen?

Many districts are still in the process of finalizing plans for reopening in person based on land and county guidance, besides as state police.

This fall, schools have been told to "offer in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible" according to AB-77, the teaching trailer pecker accompanying the 2020-21 budget. Still, schools can only do this if they are not in counties rated purple on the iv-tiered list,or if they are elementary schools that take received waivers or are following modest group guidance (come across above item). Schools can offer distance learning if ordered by a state or local health official, or for students who are medically at-risk or are self-quarantining because of exposure to Covid-19. Some school districts are also offering altitude learning to any families that are non comfortable sending their children to campuses until a Covid-19 vaccine is widely available.

Previous guidance from the California Department of Education on June 8 recommended limiting the number of students physically on campus at the same time for in-person instruction and considering strategies such as hybrid learning models where students participate in a mix of in-person and online classes. However, equally of Sept. viii, 33 counties including 681 schoolhouse districts and 944 charter schools that educate a full of more than iv million public school students were in counties rated purple, non including private schools, resulting in almost schools starting the schoolhouse year with distance learning.

AB-77 requires teachers to confirm that students have the necessary technology at home to participate in altitude learning. Teachers participating in altitude learning are expected to interact with students live daily to teach, monitor progress and maintain personal connections. The bill also instructs teachers to communicate with parents about their children's learning progress.

Boosted requirements for distance learning outlined in the trailer neb include creating procedures for re-engaging students who are absent for more than than threescore% of didactics per calendar week and providing bookish supports for English language learners and students who take fallen backside academically. Progress can be assessed through a variety of means including prove of online activities, assignment completion and contact between schoolhouse staff and students or their parents.

According to Department of Public Wellness guidance, students should expect to wash their easily and have their temperature taken often. Staff and students in grades 3-12 must habiliment masks and younger students are encouraged to do so. Students must remain  in small groups of classmates known equally "cohorts" at all times. Signs and taped marks on the floor can be used to inform them which direction to walk in and where to stand up in hallways and in the cafeteria.

Q: Since Gov. Newsom issued an executive order ordering Californians to "stay at dwelling" in March, he has begun loosening those restrictions in phases. What does that mean for parents and children?

A: Initially, Californians were urged to get out home only for groceries, prescriptions, exercise or other "essential" business organisation or activities and to stay at least six feet apart. Newsom'southward club did not specify an end engagement.

He released a report card on May 4 that outlined 4 phases for reopening some businesses that allowed individual counties to reopen some businesses with modifications based on a canton monitoring list. This process was replaced past the 4-tiered color-coded system effective Aug. 31.

The land released initial guidance for schools on June v.  On June eighteen, the land began requiring that people wear face masks exterior their homes in most settings, except for children ages 2 and under and those with certain medical conditions.

Q: What are schools supposed to offer parents and children in 2020-21?

A: California schools arerequired to provide 180 days of educational activity per yr (175 days for charter schools). Even so, the minimum number of instructional minutes have been reduced, in an effort to offer teachers more than flexibility during distance learning.

Previously, the typical minimum number of instructional minutes per twenty-four hours was: 200 for kindergarten, 280 for grades 1 to three; 300 for grades iv to viii, and 360 for high school. For the 2020-21 schoolhouse year, the daily requirements have dropped to 180 minutes for kindergarten, 230 for grades i to iii, and 240 for grades 4 to 12. Withal, the state is not setting requirements stating how many minutes should exist "synchronous," or live, versus "asynchronous," or delivered via online platforms or recorded videos that are not alive.

The state has created a coronavirus website at world wide web.covid19.ca.gov with an didactics page that includes links to guidance for K-12 schools and colleges and universities, also as links to other resources for families and educators. And the California Department of Education has created a Coronavirus Response and School Reopening Guidance website with numerous resources.

Q: What about grading students' work?

A: It is up to local districts to determine whether or not to issue grades, but nigh volition at the very to the lowest degree form students using pass/no pass or credit/no credit. Due to the coronavirus, the California Land University and the University of California agreed to accept credit/no credit or laissez passer/fail for courses taken in 2019-20, including the A-G grade sequence needed for admission, with no impact to grade point averages. The California Department of Education has released guidance on grading and graduation requirements here. Here'due south an EdSource Quick Guide on grading.

Q: Are teachers taking attendance in 2020-21?

A:California bases funding to schools on average daily attendance, but districts won't lose money if some students don't participate in altitude learning. However, schools are still required to track and report student participation.

Q: Volition students still be required to take the state'southward standardized Smarter Counterbalanced tests in math and English language language arts in grades 3-viii and 11 in spring 2021?

A: The U.Due south. Department of Pedagogy granted waivers to all fifty states in 2019-20, exempting them from the testing requirement. Even so, on Sept. 3, U.S. Secretary of Didactics Betsy DeVos sent a letter of the alphabet to master state school officials informing them that states should non look waivers in 2020-21. This means that students will likely be required to have the tests this schoolhouse year.  The test data are used in the state's school accountability system, the California Schoolhouse Dashboard. The previously waived tests included the Smarter Balanced and scientific discipline tests that assess the Adjacent Generation Science Standards, and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California for English learners. More information about how Covid-xix has affected the state'southward accountability requirements is here.

Q: What virtually Avant-garde Placement tests, Saturday and Human activity tests?

A: Shortened versions of Advanced Placement exams were administered online in May and early June. The 45-minute tests, which were accessible by iPhones, were open-volume and but included written responses, with no multiple pick questions. Security measures including anti-plagiarism software were expected to discourage cheating.

AP exam takers can earn college credit if they score high enough on the AP exams, which are offered in 38 subjects including biology, U.S. history and Spanish. Information has not even so been released about how AP tests will exist administered in 2020-21.

ACT is holding in-person exam sessions in September, October and December, but may offer online exams in 2021. Additional  information is available at www.ACT.org.

In-person Saturday exams started up once more August 29 and Sept. 3. Future tests are scheduled Oct. 3, Nov. vii and December. five. However, testing centers can close due to Covid-nineteen and all students who accept tests must wear masks and attach to other prophylactic precautions. Students can obtain access to gratuitous online prep resource at https://world wide web.khanacademy.org/sat

Both the University of California system and CSU systems take suspended admission requirements for Saturday or ACT tests for the class of 2022 and the UC system decided in May to abandon the SAT and Human action exams as a freshman admission requirement and to develop its own substitute standardized examination by 2025. Nevertheless, some campuses initially gave students the option of submitting those exam scores as part of their application. Just, a judge ruled Sept. i that all UC campuses must suspend use of the tests in admissions decisions. Some students want to accept the Sat/Act but are finding information technology difficult to detect scheduled exams.

Q: If school is closed, can parents nonetheless arrange play dates for their children, or accept groups of children together to do homework?

A: Limiting social interactions for children with their friendsis tough, but nether the statewide lodge to "stay home," children can not visit in their friends homes and the order specifies that babysitters or other caregivers can visit other homes, but with precautions for social distancing and mitt washing. The symptoms of the coronavirus can accept days to show upward, and people tin can be contagious even if they do not however have symptoms. Likewise, each additional child has other circles of contacts — their family unit and the people their family is in impact with.

In lieu of in-person play dates, some families are setting up video play dates for their kids, and encouraging them to write letters or emails to other family members or friends.

Withal, individual counties including Alameda and Contra Costa are allowing small groups chosen "social bubbling" to gather. According to Alameda Canton guidance, a social chimera must not take more than 12 individuals and can be comprised of a combination of ideally 2 or three households, simply those in the social bubble must not participate in more than one social bubble in a three-calendar week period. The social bubble must gather outdoors such equally in a park or a lawn. Face coverings may be removed when eating or drinking and social bubbles must stay at least six anxiety away from other social bubbles.

Q: Can I still send my child to daycare or preschool? What nigh hiring a nanny or bodyguard?

The best fashion to help contain the spread of the coronavirus is to keep your child dwelling house. However, on June v, the state issued guidelines for childcare centers, as various sectors in the country began to reopen, and then followed up with updated guidance on July 17 for child care programs and providers. The state has also issued "Support for Working Families" guidance with additional information related to childcare and other resources. And some schools or customs agencies are providing child care "learning hubs" for schoolhouse-age children, where they can participate in the distance learning offered by their schools.

Q: Have any California schoolchildren or teachers been diagnosed with the coronavirus?

A: Yes. Of the 746,191confirmedcoronavirus cases in the state as of Sept. 10, 76,136 were children ages 0-17, 447,876 were adults between the ages of xviii and 49, 141,078 were adults between 50 and 64, 80,183 were adults 65 or older, and 918 were people whose ages were not known. Of the xiv,089 deaths due to the virus, iii were ages five-17, including one teenager in the Central Valley with underlying health conditions. Details nigh which school he may have attended were not released.

Two K-12 students and one substitute teacher were publicly identified equally testing positive for the virus earlier schools airtight throughout the state terminal March. The students attended an uncomplicated schoolhouse in Elk Grove Unified and a private Catholic school operated past the San Francisco Archdiocese. The substitute teacher, who died March 15, worked in the Sacramento Unified School District.

Q: What are the symptoms of the coronavirus and what should parents or guardians practise if their kid develops them?

A: The symptoms of the coronavirus are similar in children and adults and can exist mild or severe. Those symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea.

Co-ordinate to the Centers for Disease Command, children practice not seem to be at higher hazard of getting the coronavirus although some children and infants have been sick with the disease and one has died in California. Older adults and people with astringent chronic medical weather condition like lung disease, diabetes or suppressed immune systems are at higher take a chance of contracting the virus and possibly dying.

The CDC recommends contacting a healthcare provider for medical advice if yous think you or your children accept been exposed and have any of the symptoms. The CDC has likewise released additional tips to assistance continue children good for you while schools are airtight to in-person education that include suggested routines for standing children's education at home.

Information well-nigh testing sites and other resource is available on the land'due south website.

Q: Especially now that many schools are closed indefinitely, what should I tell my kid about the virus?

A: The Centers for Disease Control has a number of recommendations. These include:

  • Remain calm and reassuring.
  • Make yourself available to mind and to talk.
  • Avoid language that might arraign others and lead to stigma.
  • Pay attending to what children come across or hear on television, radio or online.
  • Provide information that is honest and accurate.
  • Teach children everyday actions to reduce the spread of germs.

The National Association of School Psychologists has as well issued helpful hints for parents similar to those from the CDC. Among them: Limit television viewing or access to information on the cyberspace and through social media. Try to avoid watching or listening to information that might exist upsetting when your children are present.

Country Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris has released a ane-minute video on Twitter to aid parents and caregivers talk to children about the coronavirus.

Burke-Harris urges adults to approach the chat calmly, inquire what children accept heard and let them to share their fears, correct any misinformation, reassure them, and remind them most the importance of proper hygiene, healthy eating and exercise.

In add-on, Shush-Harris stresses the need for adults to have care of themselves. She urges the public to visit world wide web.covid19.ca.gov for coronavirus information and resources, which are updated regularly.

National Public Radio has created a comic to help parents talk to their children near the virus. And the independent national nonprofit The Child Mind Establish, which focuses on children'south mental health, has posted an article titled: "Talking to kids about the coronavirus: Kids worry more than when they're kept in the dark."

Staff writers Theresa Harrington, Larry Gordon, Sydney Johnson, Zaidee Stavely, Diana Lambert, Ali Tadayon, Daniel J. Willis and Louis Freedberg contributed to this report

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