Tahoe Truckee schools receive update on reopening guidelines
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced outlines for school reopenings, laying out guidelines and requirements for districts to return to in-person school days.
In order to have school doors open and resume live learning a county must first be off the state’s COVID-19 watch list for 14 consecutive days. As of Friday, Placer County is currently one of 33 counties currently on the list.
“Learning remains non-negotiable,” said Newsom. “But neither is the safety of all of our cohorts of support staff as well as our children.”
As part of guidelines announced, districts will be allowed to have students in classrooms based on local health data, masks will be required for staff and students in third grade and above, physical distancing measures will be in place, and symptom checks will take place regularly. Masks are also recommended for students in second grade and lower.
Newsom also announced new rules regarding school closures. A classroom cohort will be sent home when there is a confirmed COVID-19 case. A school will close when multiple cohorts have cases or more then 5% of all teachers and students test positive. An entire district will close if 25% of their schools have to close within a 14-day period.
Placer County was placed on the California County Monitoring List on July 9. Tahoe Truckee Unified School District is based in Placer County and will follow county guidelines, according to Coordinator of District Communication Kelli Twomey, meaning the district’s schools in Nevada County and El Dorado County would begin the year with distance learning if Placer County remains on the state’s watch list ahead of the planned Sept. 1 start of the school year. The district said they will let all families know plans for the start of the school year by Aug. 5 or before.
“We recognize the significant impact school closures have on our entire community, students, families, and staff,” said the district in a message sent out to families on Friday. “We will continue to work diligently and collaboratively towards a safe reopening of our schools when health conditions allow. As Governor Newsom reiterated today, safety (for our students, staff, and families) is non-negotiable.
“We will continue to keep you updated as we know more and once a decision is made. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.
