San Ramon Valley Schools Forge Ahead With Reopening Plans

SAN RAMON VALLEY, CA — San Ramon Valley Unified School District has secured permission from county officials to move forward with its reopening plan after Contra Costa returned Monday to the most restrictive tier.

That means special education, English language learners and intervention students returned to school Tuesday. General education students who opted for the hybrid model will be able to return Jan. 5.

"San Ramon Valley Unified School District is really committed to providing a choice for families," said district spokesperson Denise Jennison. "Our plan is to provide an excellent curriculum for both our remote students and our hybrid students."

Contra Costa Health Services announced Monday that no additional K-12 schools were allowed to reopen following the move to the purple tier unless they had already begun to do so. SRVUSD verified with the county that it was allowed to proceed because its phased reopening plan had been approved and was underway, Jennison said.

The purple "widespread risk" tier is the most restrictive tier of the state's four-tiered, color-coded COVID-19 risk system. A county must remain in the second-most restrictive red "substantial risk" tier for 14 days before schools can reopen to students. If a school opens while a county is in the red tier or better, it may remain open when the county returns to the purple tier.

SRVUSD students have a cumulative three weeks left until winter break.

In the meantime, Jennison said students continue to meet with their cohorts, or stable groups of up to 14 students that offer targeted support to those who are struggling. Each school decides which kinds of cohorts are needed for its student body.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and we will work closely with our Board and community on future plans," the district wrote in a statement Monday. "For now, we will proceed as planned, with our safety precautions in place, and will strictly enforce those precautions on our campuses for the protection of everyone."