Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

School Reopenings More Common In Rural Areas And In Private Schools, State Data Shows

Saturday, February 13, 2021 | Sacramento, CA
Courtesy of Pollock Pines Superintendent Steve Martinez

Students at Pinewood Elementary in Pollock Pines have been attending school in-person since Oct. 6. They come to school in shifts, belong to the same cohorts, and sit six feet apart in the classroom.

Courtesy of Pollock Pines Superintendent Steve Martinez

By Richard Cano, CalMatters

New state mapping data details California’s school-reopening divide, in which hundreds of school districts — mostly smaller and rural or inland — are offering in-person instruction to elementary students while many of the state’s largest, urban districts remain indefinitely in remote learning.

But the divide between public and private schools is much starker: Eleven months after schools closed for in-person learning, most California private schools appear to offer some form of in-person learning, according to the state’s map data.

The maps published Friday by the California Department of Public Health offers the first nearly comprehensive picture — not every private or charter school has reported data — of exactly where schools are physically open. The state’s maps note whether district, charter and private schools are offering in-person learning to students full-time, in a hybrid model that splits time on campus and at home, or in distance learning only. 

You can view the maps here.

Public pressure toward reopening has increased as other states are phasing in on-campus learning. Most California counties, however, have not yet begun offering vaccines to educators, a key sticking point in negotiations between school boards, superintendents and labor unions for full-scale reopenings in California. The schools that have reopened have done so using state safety guidance but with widely varying testing protocols, with some implementing little or no surveillance testing.

The contrast between public and private school reopenings has been consistent since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Months ago, K-6 schools could apply for waivers from the state department of education to reopen for in-person instruction. Private schools far outstripped public schools in approved waivers. Most private and charter schools do not have the same teacher union representation that public school districts do. 

The Safe Schools for All Plan introduced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in late December included new health and safety guidelines for in-person instruction, as well as requirements that schools report to the state whether they are physically open. Under the new rules, which went into effect Jan. 25, schools are required to report their status, as well as data on cases transmitted within campuses, to the state Department of Public Health biweekly.

Friday’s release did not include data detailing outbreaks reported at schools, though the state said the information “will be added as soon as possible.” 

“As COVID-19 conditions continue to improve and vaccinations ramp up throughout the state, this map will provide local communities with accessible, up-to-date information on how districts in their communities and beyond are adapting to the pandemic, including safety planning and implementation,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Friday. 

For nearly a year, state officials had little information on school reopenings since the initial closures, which frustrated lawmakers said at a hearing last fall hampered the state’s response to reopening campuses.

The data released Friday morning arrives at a pivotal moment in California’s fraught school-reopening debate. 

In dozens of counties, case rates are falling below the 25 positive cases per 100,000 residents threshold that allow school districts to offer in-person instruction to elementary so long as strict safety measures are put in place. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this week that a deal with the Legislature centered on reopening elementary schools this spring was imminent after widespread criticism stalled his initial proposal. State data shows fewer high schools have physically reopened compared with elementary schools. Middle and high schools are also not allowed to reopen unless their counties reach the red tier in the state’s reopening framework, meaning case rates have fallen below 7 positives per 100,000 residents.

The new data illustrates the different realities playing out for students across California. 

In San Francisco, where local officials are suing the school board and district to hasten reopening campuses, all of the city’s 108 district schools serving 53,000 public-school students remain in online learning, while 15,800 students in 114 of the city’s private, parochial and public charter schools are learning in person. 

A short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, nearly all of Marin County’s public and private schools are offering in-person instruction. All but one elementary school campus was open in some fashion as of late January, according to Mary Jane Burke, superintendent of the Marin County Office of Education. 

In Marin, there were nine cases of suspected in-school transmission between early September, when several campuses first reopened, and Jan. 29, according to information tracked by the county.

Public schools in many large cities and communities that have experienced higher case rates appear more likely to remain in online learning, according to the state’s maps.

Some of California’s public schools reopened as early as August, namely in northern and rural counties. Placerville Union School District, a district of 1,300 students located 45 minutes northeast of Sacramento where most schools are shuttered, was among the public schools that began hybrid instruction to start the academic year. 

“If you put the protocols in place, it runs smooth,” Placerville superintendent Eric Bonniksen said. “All of our students are wearing masks. All of our teachers are wearing masks, we are doing social distancing. Overall, it runs smooth like a regular school day.”


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    More about Coronavirus

  • NIAID-RML via AP

    Coronavirus In California: Latest Updates And Resources

    The coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in California and around the world. Here are resources and all our coverage at CapRadio and NPR.

 Coronavirus

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

New California Law Makes It Easier to Get Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

February 28, 2021

Anne Wernikoff / CalMatters

When Will Nursing Homes Reopen To Visitors? State Officials Won’t Say

March 2, 2021

House Television via AP

Would Congress’ New Voting-Rights Act Allow ‘Violent Felons’ To Cast A Ballot? We Fact Check A California Republican’s Claim.

March 4, 2021

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California To Allow Limited Attendance At Outdoor Stadiums, Theme Parks

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Incentivizing Schools To Reopen

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California To Allow Limited Attendance At Outdoor Stadiums, Theme Parks

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Incentivizing Schools To Reopen

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.