Students in Sonoma County’s largest school district are heading back to in-person learning, following the approval of a deal between the school board and the teacher’s union - the first step in a return to normal.
Santa Rosa City schools are home to at least 16,000 students and a 900-member teachers union.
Grades K-6 will return April 1 and 2, while Grades 7-12 are set to come back to campus April 26 and 29.
Superintendent Diann Kitamura said the plan is still far from perfect, but the connection between students and teachers means so much more.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Kitamura said. “Kids are going to get to see other kids, they’re going to see their teachers. They’re going to get to be on campus, and that alone can be so valuable in a child’s experience.”
Kathryn Howell, lead negotiator for the teachers union, said students will return to class by splitting into cohorts in a hybrid setting.
“Kids will get to come to school for either Monday and Tuesday, or Thursday and Friday,” Howell said. “And then three days of asynchronous work with check-ins from the teachers. But not the Zooming that we’ve been doing for the last year.”
If they so choose, parents may also opt to keep their kids in a distance setting
Roughly 94 percent of teachers association members voted to approve the in-person learning plan.