Las Virgenes First LA County District To Welcome Back TK-2 Kids

CALABASAS, CA — On the heels of a school board election, the Las Virgenes Unified District announced that it is the first public school district in Los Angeles County to be granted waivers for its youngest students to return to school.

Its nine elementary schools will welcome students in TK-2 back to campus for half day sessions starting Nov. 9, the district announced this week.

29 schools in the county can now bring back TK-2 students through a waiver program approved by the Board of Supervisors in September. The program approves 30 waivers a week, and has so far mostly approved private schools. Nine of out of the ten public schools approved thus far are Las Virgenes schools.

The district submitted its application for waivers on Oct. 15 and went through a rigorous process for obtaining approval. It needed letters of support from the teachers union, other employee groups, and parent organizations. According to Superintendent Dr. Dan Stepenosky, LA County Public Health officials conducted site visits to each of the district's schools, and gave Las Virgenes the highest marks for preparation, according to a letter Stepenosky sent to parents.

The district has invested $1.6 million in personal protective equipment since the spring, including infrared wellness-screening scanners, sanitizing systems for regular deep cleans, face shields, plexiglass, and more. It continues to follow the protocols set earlier this month, when it was permitted to let 198 students with special needs re-enter campuses. These include two distinct morning and afternoon cohorts limited to 12 students per classroom, all in masks and six feet apart.

In a video, Stepenosky lays out a typical day of a young student: at the beginning of the day, parents fill out a health screening form that they must show to staff before their student can enter the building. At a designated campus entry point, students pass through a scanner showing that they do not have a temperature. During the day, one student can go to the bathroom at a time, and this is monitored by a staff attendant. They get a playground break, and all equipment is sprayed down after use. School personnel move throughout campus sanitizing handles, faucets, and high-touch surfaces, and a team of maintenance staff deep-clean the entire building between cohorts.

“It looks a little different than school used to, but remember: our kids are quick to learn new behavior patterns, and with everyone’s help, we can have a positive and safe on-campus learning experience,” Stepenosky said.