Manhattan Beach Schools To Return To Five Days Per Week Schedule

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Starting the week of April 19, all Manhattan Beach schools will be offering in-person hybrid learning five days per week. The announcement was made by Manhattan Beach Unified School District Superintendent Mike Matthews during Wednesday night's MBUSD board meeting.

This is such a gigantic improvement from two days a week, two-and-a-half hours per day," Matthews said at the board meeting. "I know there will be those who want it all, and I'm all for it, but ... this is great."

Matthews emphasized that the district will strongly comply with Department of Public Health guidelines, which include the new three-foot separation rule between students and a six-foot separation provided for teachers.

The elementary school students who choose to remain in distance learning will continue with their online teachers. Middle and high school students in distance learning will be taking classes concurrently with their in-person counterparts.

Following spring break, which runs April 12-17, the in-person elementary classes will take place five mornings per week with students being divided into four groups. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, one of the four groups will get to remain on campus to take part in a socially distanced lunch, followed by an hour of enrichment and support.

Lunchtime will be a different experience from what the children are used to but will still be of benefit to them, according to Deputy Superintendent Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard. "It will get kids out of the classroom, give them a chance to run around, get fresh air, and give them a less structured point in their day," she said at the meeting.

As for middle and high school, the in-person students will be going on a block schedule. There will be periods 1, 3, and 5, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and periods 2, 4, and 6 on Tuesday and Thursday. Each week these schedules will alternate, Matthews said.

Many parents have inquired about distance-learning students being able to transition to in-person learning. "There will be no changes from distance learning into in-person learning until April 26," Matthews wrote in his presentation. "At that time, such requests will only be approved if we can maintain distances using LACDPH guidelines."

Currently, for example, Manhattan Beach Middles School is reporting that 84% of the students have said they will return in person, which would make it difficult to allow additional students into the classrooms.

Following his presentation, Matthews offered special thanks to multiple internal and external district entities such as the board of trustees, various committees, parents, teachers, students, BCHD, MBEF, civic leaders, and the teacher's union, to name a few.