Merced City School District to bring back students, amid latest COVID-19 reopening phase
As improving coronavirus data advanced Merced County out of the strictest of state-mandated business closures Tuesday, more local districts to welcome students back to in-person classes for the first time this school year.
Merced City School District announced Tuesday some students may return for in-person school on Oct. 12 — unless parents or guardians opt to continue with distance learning.
The district is following California Department of Public Health and Department of Education recommendations of having students with disabilities return first, the release said. State guidelines were recently released for returning small student groups for support and specialized services.
Among other preventative measures against the coronavirus pandemic, classes will be limited to a maximum cohort of 16 individuals.
“The guidance from the state is in line with MCSD’s vision of providing equity and support to the most vulnerable students,” MCSD Superintendent Dr. Al Rogers said in the release.
“First, we are going to bring back students enrolled in Special Day Classes and students with particular service needs. These students spend a significant part of their school day receiving specialized services.”
The district is also putting together a plan to return all students to campus on Nov. 2, contingent upon Merced County COVID-19 data.
Shifting out of the most stringent economic closures on Tuesday landed Merced County in the second strictest reopening tier, which is labeled red and characterized as having “substantial” risk for COVID-19 spread. If Merced County maintains its status in red Tier 2 for two weeks, schools can reopen for in-person instruction.
According to the state’s website, schools in red tier counties may open elementary schools, and school officials can decide to conduct in-person instruction for a limited set of students in small cohorts.
News of MCSD’s reopening preparation came shortly after Merced Union High School District’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed on Friday that it intends to reopen schools’ doors to students on Nov. 2.
Several other small schools were permitted to open earlier in mid September after being granted a waiver by the state.
Latest on COVID-19 in Merced County
One additional Merced County resident died due to the novel coronavirus since Monday, the Merced County Department of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday.
A total of 149 local COVID-19 deaths have now been confirmed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The deceased individual was a man, age 65 or older, with underlying health conditions prior to death, according to County Public Health.
However, with just nine additional laboratory confirmed local COVID-19 cases, Tuesday marked the lowest new daily infection count since June 11.
The nine cases brought Merced County’s total caseload since the pandemic’s start to 9,090.
Infections presumed to currently be active stayed at 299 on Tuesday. Active cases are an estimate based on the number of new laboratory confirmed cases within the past two weeks.
The county’s testing positivity remained stable at 3.9% as well.
Testing positivity indicates the percentage of residents tested for COVID-19 within the last week whose results are positive. Exceeding 8% lands a county in the most severe of state-mandated economic closures, while less than 1% allows for most businesses to open indoors with modifications.
Also unchanged on Tuesday was the county’s list of active coronavirus outbreaks. There are currently 10 workplaces identified as having active outbreaks, meaning the facilities have not yet gone two straight weeks without a new case being tied to the location.
Active hospitalizations of Merced County residents did increase on Tuesday by four patients. Currently, 38 residents are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Nine are being cared for locally while the remaining majority are hospitalized elsewhere.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 5:52 PM.
