When Do the Schools in Anaheim Go Back to School

Balloons and banners are welcoming students back to campuses.

So are the big tubs of hand sanitizer, masks and a whole lot of anxiety.

Beginning this month, students and teachers throughout Orange County are kicking off their third academic year of studying during a pandemic. They face rapidly evolving health rules, including state requirements that everybody wear face masks while indoors and all school employees be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing for COVID-19.

While many seem to be OK with those measures, there's some push back, including lawsuits and at least one student who refused to wear a mask on his first day of school in Tustin – a move that was followed by two days of anti-mask rallies outside the school.

But any broad anti-mask push at schools is coming in the face of a new surge of COVID-19 that is hitting unvaccinated people, including some who are school age, particularly hard.

Clayton Chau, the county's public health director, said Friday it is imperative that students wear face masks if the community is to keep the virus at bay as schools re-open.

"To say kids are immune from Covid is absolutely a lie," Chau said. "We are expecting the cases will rise, especially if schools are not enforcing the face mask mandate."

Meanwhile, there's the matter of learning.

During the pandemic, many students have fallen behind academically and teachers are being tasked with bringing them up to speed. Using federal and state pandemic relief money, Orange County schools are hiring more teachers, counselors, school nurses and aides. Many class sizes will be smaller.

Also, educators are focusing on students' mental health, helping them cope with the trauma of the past year and a half.

"Our number one emphasis will be on social emotional needs rather than business as usual," said Michael Matsuda, superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District, where students were kept online throughout the last school year.

"A number of our students and staff are pretty traumatized. (The pandemic) is a very significant event in their lives," Matsuda said. "We need to recognize the human side of this."

New rules

Some Orange County students are already back in class, including those who go to schools in Anaheim Union, Centralia Elementary and Savanna school districts. Schools in eight more districts start Aug. 16.

But unlike the last school year, which kicked off with online learning and morphed into a variety of teaching approaches, the new rules offer a mix of health protection and traditional class instruction.

Here are the guidelines:

• Face masks are mandatory for students and all employees while indoors on campus; masks also are encouraged but not required outdoors. Last year, masks were required at all times on campus. (County health leader Chau said an exception, this year, is that teachers who are vaccinated don't have to wear masks indoors if no students are in the room.)

• As of Oct. 15, all school employees will have to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered on Aug. 11.

• Social distancing is encouraged but no longer required because most schools aren't physically able to accommodate all students on campus while keeping them six feet apart.

Mask rules have drawn opposition in some quarters since the start of the pandemic, with people turning out to public meetings to argue that mandates cut against their personal freedom.

On Thursday, Aug. 12, a 7th grader at Hewes Middle School in Tustin refused to wear a mask in class and was sent to wait outside the front office until his mother could pick him up.

"It was very emotional because it was my first day of school and I wanted to be normal but I wasn't able to," he told Fox 11 news. His mother said her son has a medical condition and a note from a doctor saying he can't wear a mask.

Some 30 protesters rallied outside of Hewes Middle School in Tustin, CA on Friday, August 13 , 2021, a day after a student refused to wear a face mask on the first day of school and was sent to wait outside the school's front office. The student did not show up to the beginning of school on Friday but his supporters did, for the second day in a row. The student stayed home, at least early Friday morning, according to a leader with a local "Let them Breathe" group, which opposes mandatory face masks in schools. (Orange County Register/SCNG)
Some 30 protesters rallied outside of Hewes Middle School in Tustin, CA on Friday, August 13, 2021, a day after a student refused to wear a face mask on the first day of school and was sent to wait outside the school's front office. The student did not show up to the beginning of school on Friday but his supporters did, for the second day in a row. The student stayed home, at least early Friday morning, according to a leader with a local "Let them Breathe" group, which opposes mandatory face masks in schools. (Orange County Register/SCNG)
Some 30 protesters rallied outside of Hewes Middle School in Tustin, CA on Friday, August 13, 2021, a day after a student refused to wear a face mask on the first day of school and was sent to wait outside the school's front office. The student did not show up to the beginning of school on Friday but his supporters did, for the second day in a row. The student stayed home, at least early Friday morning, according to a leader with a local "Let them Breathe" group, which opposes mandatory face masks in schools. (Orange County Register/SCNG)
Some 30 protesters rallied outside of Hewes Middle School in Tustin, CA on Friday, August 13, 2021, a day after a student refused to wear a face mask on the first day of school and was sent to wait outside the school's front office. The student did not show up to the beginning of school on Friday but his supporters did, for the second day in a row. The student stayed home, at least early Friday morning, according to a leader with a local "Let them Breathe" group, which opposes mandatory face masks in schools. (Orange County Register/SCNG)

Matthew Jennings, a spokesman for the Tustin Unified School District, wrote in an e-mail that the district is trying to provide a safe, healthy environment for all students. He also wrote that the district offers options for those who oppose, or who can't follow, the state's face mask mandate. "We completely understand the frustrations and fatigue some might be experiencing as we enter another school year during the global pandemic."

Tustin Unified offers an independent study option, which is now required of every district in California, and an online school called Tustin Connect.

Officials at several districts echoed that there are venues for un-masked students and all said they plan to work with families individually to find the best fit.

RELATED: In Orange County, reactions run the gamut to new vaccine mandate for teachers

They also appear ready to follow the state's goal of keeping students without face masks out of crowded classrooms. On Aug. 5, Anaheim Union advised parents in a Facebook post that refusal to wear a mask indoors could lead to a student being removed from school.

"The first three days of absences, due to refusal to wear a mask indoors, will be marked verified 'parent request.' Additional absences, due to refusal to wear a mask, will be marked unexcused and may result in a referral to School Attendance Review Board."

Education strategies

While still offering independent study and, in some cases, online learning, Orange County school districts have moved away from hybrid learning, which mixed days of in-class study with online instruction.

Some school districts, like Capistrano Unified and Tustin Unified, will continue their established online schools. A few districts, like Los Alamitos Unified, are doing away with the online schools they created during the pandemic and, instead, are contracting for services with the Orange County Department of Education. In all, eight districts have asked the county department to provide independent study for students who wish to take that track.

Meanwhile, Anaheim Union wants to grow its new online Cambridge Virtual Academy, with officials predicting it could be a virtual version of the district's successful in-person Oxford Academy. And Santa Ana Unified is opening the Santa Ana Virtual Academy, and has some 2,000 students already enrolled for the fall.

But, even with all of those new offerings, most Orange County students are returning to traditional in-person instruction.

To meet that need, districts are looking to make various changes and additions in the new school year, including new hires. At the Anaheim Elementary School District, for example, the hiring of new teachers will translate into three fewer students per class. This district also has hired 80 school safety assistants to wipe down high-traffic areas, assist during recess and lunch, and make sure that students don't congregate in enclosed areas like bathrooms.

Anaheim Elementary schools, like many others, also has new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Ventilation is a controversial topic. A year ago, teachers at Los Alamitos Unified, were ready to strike over the issue. Now, following improvements, that tension has been defused. "In our district, we've done a good job with air filtration and other mitigation measures. They're as good as they can be," said Los Alamitos High biology teacher Drew Sells.

Districts also are hiring more nurses and other professionals. Santa Ana Unified, for example, plans to have a nurse and a social worker for every school and hire 156 more counselors — boosting its ratio from 1 counselor for every 1,000 students to 1 for every 250. The Orange County Department of Education recently hired seven regional mental health coordinators to work with school districts.

School stress is back

All educators contacted said that the health of students and school staff is a priority. But, unlike last year, county officials have not announced any contingency plans should schools become hotspots for the virus.

Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county's deputy health officer, said health officials are talking about what to do should there be outbreaks in schools. In the meantime, "We will work with that school directly," she said during an Aug. 10 press conference organized by Supervisor Katrina Foley.

Recently, school nurses across the county received guidance on what to do if students show symptoms of the disease, depending on a range of different scenarios. For example, a vaccinated student exposed to the virus but showing no symptoms does not need to quarantine or test, but does need to be monitored for 14 days. An unvaccinated student with no symptoms, however, might have to either undergo a "modified quarantine" or isolation depending on several factors.

In Santa Ana Unified, the guidelines were simplified. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 or who was exposed to someone who tested positive must stay away from school for at least 14 days.

Chau, the county's health director, emphasized in a press conference on Aug. 13 that children are indeed susceptible to COVID-19, saying the county has tracked close to 29,000 cases among people under the age of 18 and that there has been an increase in that age group.

Parents like Jamie Williams Karutz, who has two daughters in the Newport-Mesa district, also are tracking the data.

"I'm in a constant state of high anxiety," Karutz said.

"My concern is that kids who don't really qualify for a mask exemption will be given one and that those who are against masks will be disruptive to the school."

Her oldest daughter, in high school, is vaccinated but has an underlying condition that could leave her susceptible to serious illness if she contracts the virus. Karutz's younger daughter can't yet get the vaccine because she's under 12.

"It's not just my own worries. Everybody I know feels the same."

Sarah Beck, a parent in the Capistrano Unified School District, said she has other concerns. She is part of a group of parents who have left the district, unhappy with the mask mandate and what she said was a lack of attention to students' social emotional needs.

"On top of that, the kids were criticized, reprimanded and constantly told to adjust their masks," Beck said. "And they were injected with fear; a lot of fear about getting in trouble over the masks, fear about getting sick, fear whenever one coughed."

At least three School Boards – at Capistrano Unified, Placentia-Yorba Linda and Saddleback Valley districts – recently passed resolutions asking the state to make face masks optional.

Karutz, on the other hand, said she supports the mask mandate. And she included masks in her back-to-school supplies, along with hand gel, some disinfecting spray to spray the kids' backpacks, and same-day Covid tests just in case.

And yes, she also got some notebooks, pens and pencils.

Students make their way to class for the first day of school at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kindergartners Cassidy Casenas, left, and Cailey Casenas head in to school on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Second-grade teacher Wendy Verrall's takes students' temperatures during the first day of class at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First grade teacher Linda Chaplin hugs Retaj Alhazah during the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First grade teacher Julie Smith on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First grade teacher Julie Smith on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First graders inside teacher Julie Smith's classroom on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lara Saghafi listens to her teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alex Halbrook gets help with his mask from transitional kindergarten teacher Annette Cuccarese during the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First grade teacher Julie Smith on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
First grade teacher Julie Smith on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nicholas Montano, left, Makena Lether, center, and Rowan Montano, head toward school on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Gabriella Worrell, 4, looks through a hole in the gate as she watches her sister, Marjorie Worrell head to her second grade class on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors look through the a gate as they watch students head to their classrooms on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Michelle Rocha walks her dog, Amina, as she brings her kids, Julie Rocha and Jerry Rocha, to school on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Campus supervisor Yolanda Fierros directs Valentin Quintero III to his kindergarten class on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kindergarten teacher Noel Gillispie gives a student his name tag during the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students were back on campus for the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Zoe and Asher Dang take a photo before the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students listen to their teacher during their first day of transitional kindergarten class at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A sign welcomes students back for their first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Second-grade teacher Wendy Verrall's talks to her class during the first day of school at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Transitional kindergarten teacher Annette Cuccarese talks with her students during the first day of classes at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ethena Mateos is greeted by her pervious years teacher, Brittney Crawford, during the first day of school at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Five-year-old Ryder Hsieh talks with his mom Tina before his first day of kindergarten at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Students in Wendy Verrall's second grade class make their hand into a smile to show they are happy, since their mouths are covered, during the first day of class at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, CA on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dena Melland, left, greets first grader Julie Rocha and she says goodbye to her mother, Michelle Rocha on the first day of instruction at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 12, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)