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Gov. Gavin Newsom will release updated guidance to schools on reopening Friday.
The announcement comes as many districts are just weeks away from the upcoming school year and the state has faced increasing pressure to provide funding and assistance to schools.
While parents, students, school officials and state leaders all agree that in-person learning is more effective than virtual classes, "ultimately safety is paramount,” said State Superintendent Tony Thurmond in a virtual town hall meeting Thursday.
"Since we've issued our guidance, conditions have changed dramatically," he said, referring to guidelines release last month. Since that guidance was issued, cases have surged, dozens of counties are now on the state's COVID-19 monitoring list and the governor has rolled back reopening in much of the state.
Thurmond has said there will be no "one-size-fits-all" approach as case count, staffing and physical spaces vary widely from district to district. He said while some rural parts of the state might be able to welcome students back to the classroom, in many areas that will not be the case. "If schools had to open tomorrow, I don’t think that most of our districts are in a place where things would be safe enough to do so."
School districts in San Leandro, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose have all announced the school year will start off fully online and move to a hybrid model as conditions improve. Speaking at the town hall, Pittsburg Unified School District Superintendent Janet Schulz added her district to that list.
“We’ve been planning all summer through a variety of advisory committees... for both scenarios, knowing we’re going to need to be flexible,” Shulz said.
And with the pandemic shifting every day, Thurmond stressed that flexibility will be key.
"This is the toughest experience that most of us will experience in our lifetime,” he said.