SANTA MONICA — On Friday, May 29, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District released its considerations for the upcoming school year. The Fall Semester for elementary, middle, and high schools will begin on August 20.
Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati began the public statement acknowledging the Class of 2020. He expressed his hopes that this experience will set them apart from other graduating classes positively. He also thanked parents and students for supporting the District’s efforts without “throwing in the towel”.
Dr. Drati specified: “The guidance we have received from the governor and Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) is that students can return to their respective campuses as a part of phase three of the governor’s road to recovery plans.” Reopenings will include criteria schools must adhere to such as “physical distancing and proper cleaning of facilities.”
The press release goes on to state that the LACOE and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have established a task force of “school superintendents and other stakeholders to develop a framework of possible procedures to open in keeping with the governor’s four-phase plan.” The details of this will be announced in the coming week.
The Superintendent detailed an outline of the possibilities being proposed:
- Distance learning is maintained with new considerations and more long-term planning.
- An in-class experience is created in a way where physical-distancing becomes a requirement. This will be achieved through a hybrid model of in-person and at-home teaching to reduce the number of students in a classroom. Other options for hybrid learning include alternating schedules to control the number of students in the school at any time. This would include weekly schedules or an alternating half-day schedule.
- A full, normal return to school with the option for parents to keep their kids home. In this case, a program would be created for those who choose not to attend in person.
Dr. Drati acknowledges all options have different implications for the different school levels. He also clarifies though there is not much detail he can provide, the fluidity of the situation must be taken into account.
The press release ends with the following message:
“Thank you for your patience, stay safe, and continue to look after one another as a community.”
