CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – A limited number of Chula Vista Elementary School District students will be able to return to schools for in-person instruction next month.
CVESD officials announced that its “in-person, hybrid instructional model” would start Monday, April 12, with parents having a choice of committing to the hybrid model or keeping their student at home for distance learning for the rest of the school year.
District schools have been closed for a little over one year due to the coronavirus pandemic, forcing students to continue their education virtually.
According to the district, the hybrid model “ensures that a limited number of students are on campus at any one time, allowing protocols such as physical distancing to be more easily implemented. In CVESD, the hybrid model consists of half-day instruction in an a.m./p.m. format Mon.-Thurs., with Fridays reserved for distance learning.”
San Diego County's entry into the state's less restrictive red tier is allowing school districts such as CVESD to prepare to reopen for in-person learning.
Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D., said, “We are very excited to welcome back students to in-person instruction. We are going above and beyond when it comes to safety protocols and requirements. We also know that students and families have suffered immensely during the pandemic from the prolonged school closures. Now, it is time to heal. It is time for all of us to recover and rebuild together.”
The district said its teachers and staff will return to campuses by April 5, giving them time to prepare for the start of the hybrid model the following week.
More information on the district’s reopening plan will be released during a virtual town hall meeting on March 23 at 6 p.m.
According to the district, “The reduction in COVID-19 case rates goes hand in hand with increased vaccination rates. All of the approximately 4,700 District employees (including substitutes) were eligible to receive the vaccine. The overwhelming majority will be fully vaccinated prior to students’ return.”
