At Clovis North High School, parents dropped off their kids on campus Tuesday for the first time in months. Students with pom poms cheered on as cars entered the parking lot.
For those returning to this hybrid model of online and in-school instruction, Clovis Unified Chief Communications Officer Kelly Avants says student days offline look a lot different now.
“When they get to school, they’ll go through a health check, health screening. Get that wrist bracelet or ticket to show that they have passed that first test of the day,” she says.
Other changes include increased sanitation procedures, spacing desks farther apart and shifting spacing on school busses.
Avants says distance learning has been challenging for both teachers and students, so staff members are hopeful the two days of in-classroom instruction will improve the learning experience dramatically.
“They have that face-to-face accountability that comes with having a teacher that you’re seeing and connecting with on a personal basis. And so it’s really important that we’ve reached this milestone for our secondary students,” she says.
About 7500 students, grades 7 through 12, returned to class Tuesday. Combined with elementary school kids, 23,000 students in the district are now participating in the hybrid model.
Clovis Unified expects to lift more restrictions in the next two weeks as COVID-19 health tiers begin to ease.
