Livermore Parents Rally To Reopen Schools Amid Purple Tier Status

LIVERMORE, CA — For months, children all over California have had to adapt to a virtual classroom, with plenty of back and forth messaging about when they can finally return to in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, Livermore parents hit the streets, some with their children at their feet, to protest further closure of their schools.

Schools within the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District were forced to keep in-person classrooms shuttered since Alameda County returned to the widespread purple tier on the states coronavirus risk assessing blueprint Nov. 18.

Before Thanksgiving, the county fell back two tier assignments at once, closing many schools for in-person classes.

Tuesday, parents held signs reading "Our kids matter, reopen schools" with even some children with signs reading "Bring us back to school" in downtown Livermore, according to the Mercury News.

But since the county remains in the most restrictive tier, the district will not be able to allow children to return to its campuses until the county reaches the red tier assignment, and even then parents would need to wait two weeks, according to state guidlines.

Read more from the Mercury News: East Bay parents rally for district to reopen schools

The district, which serves 13,500 students in grades TK-12, submitted a reopening plan to the county office of education in November, which would have students returning Jan. 19 for hybrid instruction.

"As our community spread of COVID-19 lessens and our county moves to a less restrictive tier, we will resume our reopening process," district officials wrote in the plan.

The district also sought guidance from elementary parents about their child's preference for distance or hybrid learning ahead of the reopening date.

The reopening plan outlined a "gradual return" to in-person learning by staggering classes back to campuses by their grade in a phased-in approach over a 4-week period. During the phase in, the district would also offer in-person "opportunities" for middle and high school students, according to the district's outline.

The hybrid model allows for elementary children to be divided into two groups for classes four days a week, but parents who choose to opt out can maintain distance learning at home.

But this would all depend on whether the county can get back into the red tier in the midst of a major surge in coronavirus cases spreading throughout Bay Area this winter.

Parents at the rally expressed deep concern about the quality of their children's education, mental health and overall well-being during the pandemic as schools remain closed, according to multiple reports.

“I want the conversation to continue. I want the district, and the (teachers) union, to know that parents will continue speaking up and advocating for our kids. Just because we’re in the purple tier doesn’t mean we’re sitting quiet,” Nobella Baba, a parent of a child at the district, who helped organize the rally, told the Mercury News.

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District learned that Alameda County had signed off on its reopening plan for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade students hours before Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Alameda County was among those that would be returning to the purple tier, school officials said in mid-November in a letter to families.

Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe said in a statement in mid-November that the Office of Education will put all of its resources toward supporting schools in their efforts to plan for reopening in the future.

"As a county, state and nation, we clearly have some challenging days ahead, but there are signs of progress in fighting this virus and I am hopeful that the new year will bring with it an opportunity to be together, to learn and spend time with one another in person again," she said. "In the meantime, our collective commitment to our children and communities will sustain us."

For a full list of district campuses and their reopening dates, visit this page.

READ MORE: Livermore Schools Adapt As County Calls For Distance Learning

Patch Editor Courtney Teague contributed to this report.