Contact: Media Relations
County of Santa Clara Emergency Operations Center/Public Health Department
408-808-7863
Santa Clara County Office of Education
(408) 453-6674 | rhall@sccoe.org
At noon today, the Governor announced new guidance for school reopening that generally requires counties to be off the State’s monitoring list for at least 14 days before schools will open for in-person instruction. Santa Clara County is currently on the State’s monitoring list. The State’s guidance also states that local health officers may grant a waiver for elementary schools to open for in-person instruction. These waivers may be granted “when requested by a local superintendent (or equivalent for charter or private schools), in consultation with labor, parent and community organizations. Local health officers must review local community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions, and consult with CDPH when considering a waiver request.”
The County Office of Education and County Public Health Department will continue to work with schools, school leaders, and parents to prepare for safe reopening of in-person learning, and will pursue prioritization of in-person elementary school instruction as provided in the State’s guidance.
Santa Clara County Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan made the following statement:
“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of students and school staff in our community. There are elements of distance learning that are extremely challenging, and we will work through these challenges together. We are committed to supporting districts and schools to provide students with multifaceted educational experiences that help them progress academically and keep them engaged while keeping them safe. Teachers and school employees are passionate about students, and I am inspired by their agility and hard work in educating students during this pandemic.”
County of Santa Clara Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody made the following statement:
“We must all come together and do whatever it takes to slow the spread of COVID-19 and enable students, teachers, and school staff to safely return to in-person learning. We know that teachers, staff and students both need to be safe and feel safe to return to in-person instruction. The County Public Health Department will work in close partnership with schools to ensure they can implement the safety guidelines we’ve issued and return to in person in-person instruction as soon as possible.”
The County Public Health Department provided guidance to schools for reopening of in-person instruction on June 30.
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