Livermore Students Set To Return To School This Month

LIVERMORE, CA — Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District students in preschool through 12th grade are slated to head back to classrooms Monday, March 22.

The school board voted last week to approve the school's return-to-school plan, a year after distance learning first began, the school district said in a news release.

Elementary school students who choose to return for in-person classes will spend four mornings on campus, while afternoons will be reserved for distance learning. Wednesdays will be for online learning with an early dismissal time, so teachers can receive professional development.

Middle and high school students can be on campus for up to two mornings per week, with distance learning the other three days. Teachers will simultaneously teach students in class and online, the district said.

Students can grab a free pick-up meal on their way off campus, as all classes will wrap up before lunchtime. Distance learning students may also continue to get free meals from the district, LVJUSD said.

There are systems and protocols in place related to air filtration, sanitization, health screening, contact tracking and COVID-19 exposure notifications, district officials said in the news release. Students and staff have access to personal protective equipment.

“I am thrilled that with the decline in community spread, vaccination of most of our school staff, and other mitigation factors in place, we have been able to set a date for safely bringing our students back to campus for in-person learning," said LVJUSD board member Kristie Wang. "I credit our superintendent with finding a path forward for our district and for her tenacity in making it happen."

School principals are expected to give parents additional details this week, said Superintendent Kelly Bowers in the news release. Families will have the chance to finally review and commit to remote or in-person learning through the end of the school year on June 10.

The transition comes as more than 80 percent of staff at Livermore schools have started their COVID-19 vaccination process, said Aimee Thompson, president of the Livermore Education Association teachers union, in the news release.

LVJUSD has been working with the local government agencies and elected officials to bring a mobile vaccination clinic to the city, which would serve district staff, city staff and the most vulnerable residents, according to the news release.