The San Jose Unified School District is preparing to welcome back some students for in-person instruction starting Wednesday, April 21, according to communications to parents this month.
Nearly two-thirds of SJUSD students will remain in distance learning with up to 50% of students in each class attending in person. The remaining students will continue to participate from home.
Under the SJUSD hybrid model, teachers will continue to teach for the full school day using the Live Instruction Model that has been used throughout the school year. The Live Instruction Model allows SJUSD to operate under three learning modalities: distance learning, in-person support for distance learning, and in-person learning.
In June 2020, a Reopening Task Force was established by SJUSD to look at instructional model options and select the model that best met the requirements. The task force consisted of parents, teachers, labor leaders, medical professionals, and administrators.
With more than 85% of SJUSD employees being vaccinated and Santa Clara County entering the Orange Tier, school are now able to reopen in in the safest possible way, according to SJUSD.
As part of the reopening plan, in-person students, teachers, and staff will be required to complete a health screen at home prior to their arrival each day. While on campus, students and staff will be required to wear face coverings, maintain physical distance, and practice hand hygiene by washing or sanitizing their hands throughout the day.
Extracurricular activities at the middle and high schools for athletics and clubs will continue to be offered for both in-person and distance learning students. Last month, student-athlete advocates successfully lobbied to allow outdoor youth sports to resume in California.
Each school will have its own details about procedures specific to the school, such as drop-off and pick-up procedures that will be shared closer to the opening date. SJUSD has also created a Welcome Back video to help in-person learners understand what to expect when they return to campus.
For more information on the San Jose Unified School District reopening plan, click here.