Riverside County Elementary Schools Can Now Seek Reopening

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County school children have not been in classrooms since March, but on Friday the county confirmed that schools serving transitional kindergarten through grade 6 may apply for a waiver to reopen amid coronavirus.

The "school waiver" option was announced earlier this month by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but the program launch was left to the discretion of local public health officers — and it remains that way per state guidelines.

In Riverside County, TK-6 schools will have to submit their reopening plans and other documentation to Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser. After consultation with state health officials, Kaiser will determine whether a school can reopen. The waivers are not guaranteed and can be withdrawn, according to county documents.

Additionally, if the number of waiver applications is too high to allow for "appropriate monitoring," then some schools may have to be "phased in" or "deferred" for reopening, the county said.

“The biggest predictor of school spread is community spread, and although we’re still finding new cases of COVID-19, our case rate has dropped enough where we can consider elementary school waivers,” Kaiser said. “However, the waiver process won’t be a rubber stamp, and elementary schools will be required to publicly demonstrate they have the pieces in place to operate safely or they won’t be approved. We want exposures to be rare and, should an exposure occur, for the school to show they can handle it without putting others at risk.”

It's not immediately clear how many Riverside County schools will apply for a waiver to reopen. Most districts have reopening plans in place, and some districts may want to offer a hybrid learning model that incorporates in-person and online education. Classrooms modifications like plexiglass dividers, mandated face masks for faculty and older students, constant sanitization, social distancing and other safety measures are part of districts' plans.

Not everything is within the public health officer's control. The county's coronavirus infection rate will also impact decision making on waivers.

"Waiver applications will not be accepted if the countywide [coronavirus] case rate is 200 or higher per 100,000 population, as determined by CDPH [California Department of Public Health]," according to the county.

As of Friday, the CDPH reports Riverside County is at 170 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

As for kids older than grade 6, the waiver program is not yet available to their schools.

"Only elementary schools in the transitional kindergarten through grade 6 (TK-6) grade span are eligible," county documents show. "If the same educational institution offers TK-8 or TK-12 education, then only grade levels 6 and below may resume in-person instruction if the waiver is granted. Standalone middle schools with 6-8 education, and all standalone high schools, are not eligible for application."

Dr. Erica S. Pan, California state epidemiologist and deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases, has said data suggests younger children are at lower risk of transmitting COVID-19.

The waivers, she said, are intended to prioritize young school kids and create flexibility for “certain parts of our state that are in a grayer area.”

Riverside County has been in the "grayer area" for some time. It remains on the state's COVID-19 "monitoring list," which prevents reopening. The only Southern California county that has fallen off the list is San Diego. The county may start reopening all schools as soon as Sept. 1 if it remains off the list.

Riverside County must be off the watch list for 14 days before schools and school districts may reopen without a waiver.

Schools, both public and private, can obtain a waiver application on the Riverside University Health System-Public Health website or by clicking here.

>>>CATCH UP ON THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS STATS FOR RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Riverside County Closer To Meeting CA's Coronavirus Benchmarks