Visalia Unified School Board Approves Extending School Cancellation Until May 1st

By: Krissy Hetherington

On March 27, the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) Board of Trustees held an online meeting to discuss the future of school cancellation across the district due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The previous plan was implemented on March 13th to close schools through April 13th when district officials would reevaluate the seriousness of the issue.

But on Friday, the VUSD board unanimously voted yes on the decision to extend the school closure until May 1st or until it is appropriate to return.

VUSD Superintendent Dr. Ravalin stated a few factors that had to take place in order for schools to reopen:

• California’s Shelter-in-place order becomes lifted
• The number of COVID-19 cases in Tulare County becomes constant or declines during a two week period
• Social distancing and social gathering limits are lifted
• Any change must take into consideration staff who commute over long distances or out of the area
• Provide enough time for teachers and custodians to disinfect and prepare rooms for students’ return

According to a COVID-19 Tracker by The Sun-Gazette, there are currently 35 cases of Coronavirus in Tulare County and one COVID-19 related death that was confirmed on March 28th.

Also noted, President Donald Trump declared another 30 days of social distancing as of March 29th through April 30th.

“Anyone following this pandemic should be concerned about the consistent rise in the number of infected people each day.  I feel that is imperative for folks to stay at home and honor the shelter in place that our governor has issue [and] only leave their house for essential things like work or grocery shopping.  We should all refrain from attending or hosting social gatherings during this pandemic until the CDC, our state government, and national government tell us it’s safe to go back to our normal lives.” -Redwood Principal, Matt Shin

During the first few weeks of the cancellation, teachers were encouraged to stay home and focus on their personal health and social distancing. This meant no new curriculum could be assigned but voluntary work could be posted on Google Classroom and Class Dojo to keep students engaged until further notice.

The reason for this was to encourage students to catch up on late work or missing assignments and to prioritize their health at this time.

Now moving forward, Ravalin has assured the public that there will be new curriculum after Spring Break for students to continue learning. Teachers will also be encouraged to check in with their students to keep the relationships strong to finish out the school year.

“I think the most important part of education and learning is the relationships between our teachers and their students.  I would like this to still be a focus regardless of when we come back together. All of us are experiencing something that no one before us in education has and it is a stressful, scary, and/or depressing time for us all.  It’s vital that students hear from their teachers in order to help ease any potential anxiety or stress due to not being able to make up work, bring up low grades, and/or prepare for upcoming AP exams.  Many students have teachers on campus who have mentored them and it’s hard for them not to see one another each day or communicate with each other since this closure of school began two weeks ago.” -Redwood Principal, Matt Shin

During the closure, teacher pay will continue as normal according to executive order by California Governor, Gavin Newsom.

Dr. Ravalin has also assured people that this crisis will not push the school year into summer break and there will also be opportunity for credit recovery.

For students with disabilities, there will now be modified curriculum available at homes with the help of consult models. These consult models are instructions for families that are specified for the the disability.

Community members were allowed to call in with questions. One caller asked about AP classes. Dr. Ravalin pointed out that College Board is developing a new format for testing and providing lessons online to prepare students. On April 3rd, the College Board will release more information.

During this extended break, VUSD has provided students with practice materials (in print and online) as well as free meals which they plan to continue through the school closure and also during the scheduled Spring Break (April 4th-13th) to meet the needs of the 29,375 students across the district.

“I would like to encourage [students] to stay safe and to use the time together to help support each other emotionally through this stressful time.  Families should spend time together playing games, watching old home videos, working on projects together, and most importantly spend time eating meals together and talking with one another.  This pandemic is unprecedented for the majority of the people in America and we may very likely never go through something like this again so take the time to make good memories during your time together so you can look back on the positives that you were a part of when this took place!” -Redwood Principal, Matt Shin

Stay tuned on RedwoodGigantea.com for more updates and stories around COVID-19 and its impact school-wide.