On Nov. 17, 2020, San Joaquin County moved back to the Widespread (purple) tier from the Substantial (red) tier under California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
San Joaquin County was one of 41 California counties in the purple tier, which calls for more restrictions for organizations and businesses. The move has been one of many implemented by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to slow the recent rise in COVID-19 cases statewide.
San Joaquin County schools began the 2020-21 school year under distance learning-only models. Each of San Joaquin County's 14 school districts, as well as charter and private schools, have developed detailed plans on how and when to reopen campuses to in-person instruction under safety guidance from state and local health officials.
Schools have had options to resume in-person instruction, including:
- To provide instruction and support services to small cohorts of high-priority students, such as students with special needs.
- If they successfully applied for a waiver allowing resumption of in-person instruction for students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.
- If a TK-12 school was located in a county that had been designated to be in the Substantial (red) tier under California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy for two weeks.
With San Joaquin County in the purple tier, schools follow CDPH guidelines:
- Schools may still provide in-person instruction and support services to small cohorts of high-priority students.
- Schools that have reopened for in-person instruction are permitted to continue in-person instruction in the purple tier. This applies to schools that resumed in-person instruction under a waiver for grades TK-6. It also applies to schools that resumed in-person instruction after San Joaquin County entered the red tier.
- Schools may still apply for a TK-6 waiver while San Joaquin County is in the purple tier. However, due to the current case rate, San Joaquin County does not meet the stipulations to accept school waiver applications at this time.
- In-person instruction for all grade levels may start after San Joaquin County enters the red tier for at least two weeks.
- If an individual school site was implementing a phased reopening when San Joaquin County was in the red tier, that school site may continue its phased reopening if authorized by a local health officer. If a district has a phased reopening of their schools, the schools in that district that did not reopen for in-person instruction may not reopen until the county enters the red tier for at least two weeks.
The SJCOE will continue to work alongside educational leaders and San Joaquin County Public Health Services in this new phase.
There are steps everyone can take to help slow the spread of COVID-19: wear a face covering, wash your hands, keep 6-feet distance from other people, follow guidelines for mixing households, and stay home if you are feeling sick.
Please read the press release from San Joaquin County regarding the move into the purple tier.
More information about the state Blueprint for a Safer Economy and other COVID-19 information for California can be found at covid19.ca.gov.
Local updates and information about COVID-19 at sjready.org.