Palo Alto Middle, High Schools Could Open March 1: Superintendent

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto middle and high schools could open as soon as March 1, Palo Alto Unified School District’s top official said Wednesday.

Superintendent Don Austin wrote on Twitter Wednesday that sixth graders will return to in-person classrooms on March 1 and that the remainder of all middle schoolers and high school students could return as soon as March 1.

The plan hinges on Santa Clara County moving to the red tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy for at least five days. It is currently in the purple tier.

Public high school students in Palo Alto and most of the Bay Area haven’t seen the inside of a classroom in nearly 11 months.

Austin’s announcement follows a Tuesday PAUSD meeting in which the framework for a partial opening was established that will allow some students to return to physical classrooms, The Mercury News reports.

“It’s a model that gets students back so they can have some interaction and get out of the house,” “This will be a bridge and step toward getting teachers back on campus, some of our staff have not stepped foot on a campus since March last year.”

Students in seventh through 12th grades will attend in-person classes with 10 students or less Austin described as “Zoom rooms,” The Mercury News reports.

Teachers will attend such classes virtually, Palo Alto Weekly reports.