At its Wednesday meeting, the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District addressed students’ return to in-person instruction five days a week.

Superintendent Carmen Ghysels said part of a return to a full-time school week includes Placer County moving from the state’s purple tier of COVID-19 restrictions to the red tier.

“We’re still in the purple tier, but it looks good,” said Ghysels on the district loosening restrictions.

Ghysels outlined a number of measures being put in place for a return to five-day-a-week instruction, including bus route schedules and redesigned classrooms to accommodate more students while keeping them four feet apart.

The district also provided an update regarding prep sports seasons. Teams are still not allowed to compete in out-of-state games, but a move into the state’s red tier would allow for higher contact sports, like football, to bypass required tests before competition.

“We are trying really hard to compete out of state,” said Ghysels, adding that requests to play in Nevada have been sent to the California Department of Public Health, Placer County, and the district’s insurance provider.

North Tahoe and Truckee High School students traditionally play schools within the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Ghysels also announced that fifth-grade students on the North Shore will return to Kings Beach and Tahoe Lake Elementary. Fifth graders in the area have been attending North Tahoe School.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.