Pasadena School Reopening Process Threatened by Surge in COVID-19

Schools in Los Angeles County are being urged to have plans in place to continue distance learning through January as a surge in COVID-19 cases is threatening to halt, and even reverse, the gradual return of students to school, officials said.

The Pasadena Unified School District had previously targeted Jan. 11 as the earliest potential date for students to return to PUSD campuses. Parents have been asked to make a decision by Sunday regarding whether their children will return to campus in-person or continue with online-only instruction.

But district officials have maintained that the ultimate course of action will depend on the path of the virus.

As infections continued spiking in Los Angeles County, L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer advised schools to be prepared to adjust their plans.

“I need to ask that every school be prepared for virtual learning, distance learning, in January,” Ferrer told the Los Angeles Times last week. “I hope we never get to the point where our healthcare system is so compromised and so threatened that we have to look backward in time to severe restrictions and additional closures, but I don’t want to rule it out.”

Dozens of schools in the county had been cleared to reopen, with restrictions in place, for students in grades kindergarten through two, county officials said. They included both public and private schools.

In Pasadena, a half-dozen private schools had received waivers for limited reopening.

But the PUSD had not yet formally pursued in-person instruction, with the exception of small groups of students with special needs who are learning English, according to PUSD Board of Education Vice President Scott Phelps. The decision has been informed by feedback from parents.

Meanwhile, negotiations between the district and the United Teachers of Pasadena union have been ongoing, largely centering around safety precautions, he said. A contract is pending, but the two sides recently reached an agreement.

PUSD Board of Education Member Elizabeth Pomeroy said school officials have been preparing for multiple potential scenarios.

“The planning process includes quite a few different avenues, and those avenues will depend on what tier the county is in, whether it’s in a very restrictive tier or less-restrictive,” Pomeroy said. “And so, if we have to go back to or stay in the most restrictive [tier], then we would just stay completely online.”

In addition to awaiting guidance from county and state officials, ongoing conversations with the community are a key part of the process, Pomeroy said.

“We are listening to our teachers and negotiating with them,” she said. “They are very specific about what they feel will be safe for them and for families. And so we have to listen to them as well.”

Pomeroy also urged parents to stay involved in the planning and let their opinions be known, as well as keep informed on the latest developments.

“There is a very active office of parent engagement in our district and the parents are getting information continuously about the plans and what is coming up,” Pomeroy said. “A lot of communicating back and forth will help to give a sense of security, even in these difficult times.”

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