GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Many Gridley, Manzanita and Biggs students have not seen the inside of a classroom in 7 months, since Covid-19 shut down schools and forced distance learning. The downgrade from Tier Purple to Tier Red has allowed schools across Butte County to reopen, without submitting a waiver, and each district seems to be approaching the reopening differently.

Manzanita School District is operating on a split day schedule and reducing classroom sizes by having students in cohorts of around 15 or less. Students are attending in-person instruction on campus either in an AM or PM group, with Fridays designated as distance learning/independent study/intervention classes all students.

Biggs, which is the only School District in our immediate area that has an approved waiver to return to in-person instruction, is continuing its efforts in caution with the BUSD hybrid schedule and staggered phases of reopening. Their systems utilize AM/PM schedules, smaller classroom sizes, and rotating “A” and “B” groups between scheduled days of in-person instructions with distance learning. According to the District Office, each Wednesday campuses will close for in-person instruction to receive a deep cleaning. Additionally, the district is staggering the return of grade levels to on-campus classes; Pre-K, K, 7^th, 8^th, special education, and high school grade students returned to school October 19. Grades 1, 2, and 6 will resume October 26^th, with 3, 4, 5 joining their peers on October 29^th. Because of its diligent efforts, BUSD’s status as holding an approve waiver means it can continue in-person instruction even if the Butte County Department of Public Health calls for another COVID related school shut-down.

In contrast, Gridley Unified School District has returned to in-person instruction choosing not to utilize a hybrid schedule or based off its “Elementary Reopening Plan” posted on its website, using cohorts and greatly reduced classroom sizes. Instead, GUSD will mandate students be screened daily for symptoms, has heightened sanitizing procedures, keep classes separated throughout the day, desks facing one direction and adequately spaced out, rotating recess & break times and controlling entry, exit and traffic flow to and through the school. All teachers and students will be required to wear masks and desks/classes sanitized between classes or breaks. A Home Learning Program has been put in place for those who do not feel ready for the return to daily in-person instruction, but due to staffing, it may include multiple grades in one virtual class setting.

While a majority of parents and students are excited to return to the classrooms, some are not comfortable yet, and have been made even more so by GUSD urgency to get back to classrooms. A concerned parent who wishes to remain anonymous has expressed that herself and other parents have felt “strong-armed” by GUSD to return to in-person instruction “Full Force” and would have felt more comfortable with a paced return or hybrid-schedule.  At the last GUSD Board meeting held Wednesday, October 14th, parent Jen Kramer, advocated for a hybrid model as a third option for attendance, instead of an “all or nothing” approach. When asked if that could be an option, Superintendent Reeves said that the “preference is that we return to school in a full-time model. So we return to classes as the traditional model week.”

If COVID should become an issue, both GUSD and MUSD may be required to suspend on-campus education and revert to distance learning platforms, at least temporarily.