School board votes to reopen with hybrid model

The Hemet Unified School District school board voted last Tuesday to reopen schools in a hybrid model. Students still have the option to finish the school year online.
The district has to receive approval from county and state public health before opening to a hybrid model.
If approved, preschool through second grade will return Monday, March 29. Third through sixth grade and ninth grade will return Monday, April 12. Grades seven and eight and 10 through 12 will return April 19. The district’s school year ends June 4.
The district is requiring students to wear a mask unless they have a note from a doctor. Schools will have signage posted “indicating traffic patterns.” There will be temperature checks, distancing and desk dividers. Students with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be sent home or not allowed to board the bus. Dances and assemblies will not occur.
The district noted, “Families/students will need to answer various screening questions through Frontline before entering campus or boarding a school bus. Frontline is an online service HUSD will be using for screening questions. If a student is exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, a parent/ guardian will be notified to pick up/take their student home.”
The hybrid model is as follows:
• Elementary students: attend in-person (for those who choose hybrid option) instruction four days a week in the morning and participate in asynchronous (self-guided lesson modules, pre-recorded video content, virtual libraries, lecture notes, and online discussion boards, per thebestschools.org) work in the afternoon. Wednesdays will be online instruction only.

Each school will set the time blocks.
• Middle and high school students: attend in-person (for those who choose hybrid option) instruction one day per week with online instruction the remaining four days. Simultaneous instruction will occur for those in-person and online at home. Day of the week will be determined by the school.
• Middle school students at a TK through 8 and Alessandro and Hamilton High students: attend in-person (for those who choose hybrid option) instruction two days a week with online instruction the other three. Days of the week will be determined by the school.
The district wrote: “The California Department of Public Health recommends that a superintendent should close a school district if 25% or more of schools in a district have closed due to COVID-19 within 14 days and in consultation with the local health department. Individual school closure is recommended when there are three cases from different households or at least 5% of positive cases for the total number of teachers/students/staff in a 14 day period.”
The meeting audio is not available on the district’s YouTube page. None of the district’s meetings are available on its YouTube page, even though they are streamed live on YouTube. This meeting was available for view for a short time after the meeting, then was removed.