Newsom Rolls Out Plan To Reboot In-Person Learning By Spring

One day after extending his order to keep local businesses closed, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday unveiled a $2 billion plan to get young students back to in-person learning as early as spring.

It was not immediately clear how quickly such a move would occur in Southern California, which is currently being slammed by a surge of COVID-19 infections that threatens to devastate local hospitals so badly that they may be forced to ration care.

Pasadena students have been learning from home since the pandemic hit in March. 

The proposal calls for a “phased-in, in-person learning strategy that would focus disproportionately on those youngest cohorts and those that are most in need — high-risk children, special education, those populations — foster care, homeless children — and others that need that extra amount of support,” Newsom said.

The plan would include $2 billion to bankroll safety measures at schools that return to in-person instruction, including COVID-19 testing and protective equipment. It also calls for frequent virus testing of students and staff, masks for everyone on campus and prioritizing school staff for vaccinations.

Newsom’s proposal would begin with pre-kindergarten through second-grade students. And while the push is to resume in-person learning as much as possible, distance learning will still be available.

“Distance learning will still remain an option for parents and students,” the governor said. “There’s a lot of trepidation, we recognize that, a lot of anxiety, about going back into the classroom, which one has to clearly acknowledge. Not just for our teachers but also for our parents, particularly with kids who may have unique conditions.”

Despite the governor’s aggressive timeline, it was unclear how quickly students in the Southland might be in a position to return to classes on a widespread basis. 

The program, like all health orders, is at the mercy of the virus, which has left intensive care units in Southern California packed.

If the current surge worsens, as many health experts are predicting, efforts to open local schools most likely will be placed on the back burner.

Newsom extended his stay-at-home order on Tuesday, which prohibited all but essential businesses from opening. The order also bars large gatherings.