SAN DIEGO — On Tuesday, Aug. 18, San Diego County was removed from California’s COVID-19 monitoring list after the county hit a key state metric of fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 people for three consecutive days.
The county was advised it must maintain a case rate below 100 for an additional 14 days in order for school districts K-12 to reopen for in-person teaching if they choose to do so.
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, San Diego County Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten said school waivers were being suspended since COVID-19 cases are expected to stay below 100 per 100,000 by the following week and all schools in the county can re-open starting Sept. 1 if they choose to.
The changes came a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced strict guidelines to limit which school districts could reopen for in-class instruction during the pandemic.
For schools in counties currently still on the state's watchlist to reopen, the counties would need to meet the criteria set forth by the California Department of Public Health and also have a 14-day declining trend of new COVID-19 cases. If they do not meet this criteria, they must begin the school year with distance learning programs.
Once a county does meet the criteria to be taken off the state’s watchlist, the decision to allow schools to reopen for in-class instruction would be decided by local government and school officials.
"Learning in the state of California is simply non-negotiable," Newsom said.
But he added, "Safety is foundational. Safety will ultimately make the determination of how we go about educating our kids."
San Diego District plans before Governor's announcement on July 17
The San Diego County Office of Education announced each respective district in the county will decide whether or not to return to in-person classroom learning, online distance learning or a combination of the two.
"We encourage each of the nearly 800 public schools and 230 private schools in the county to consider this guidance, as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California Department of Education (CDE), California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and local public health orders, as part of their planning process," said the SDCOE.
Below is what each school district countywide has decided for fall 2020 so far. This story will be updated regularly when new, official plans become available.
San Diego Unified School District
The San Diego Unified School District started classes on Aug. 31 with online learning still in place.
SDUSD, the second-largest school district in the state released a statement on Aug. 27, stating that district leaders have plans to offer small, in-person learning sessions to students facing the most severe challenges.
"Elementary school students who have been uniquely identified by their teachers as experiencing learning loss may be offered appointments to receive in-person sessions. Participation will be voluntary," school officials said.
To review the San Diego Unified health and safety standards for reopening schools, click here.
Alpine Union School District
The district started classes on September 2. For more information, click here.
Bonsall Unified School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 24. For more information, click here.
Borrego Springs Unified School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 31. For more information, click here.
Cajon Valley Union School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug.19. For the latest updates, click here.
Cardiff School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 25. For more information, click here.
Carlsbad Unified School District
The district started distance learning classes. For the latest update, click here.
On, Sept. 23, the board presented a plan for what they called "distance learning 2.0 plus" with no in-person learning but "structured opportunities" for kids to meet on campus for middle and high school students.
Chula Vista Elementary District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 31. For more information, click here.
Coronado Unified School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 27. For the latest updates, click here.
Dehesa School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Del Mar Union School District
The district started distance learning classes. For the latest updates, click here.
Encinitas Union School District
The district started distance learning classes on August 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Escondido Union School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 25. For the latest updates, click here.
Escondido Union High School District
The district started distance learning classes on Aug. 25. For the latest updates, click here.
Fallbrook Union Elementary District
The district started distance learning classes on on August 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Fallbrook Union High School District
The district started distance learning on August 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Grossmont Union High School District
The district started distance learning on August 10. For the latest updates, click here.
Jamul-Dulzura Union School District
The district started distance learning on August 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Julian Union School District
The district started distance learning on August 11. For the latest updates, click here.
Julian Union High School District
The district started distance learning on August 11. For the latest updates, click here.
The district started distance learning on August 27. For the latest updates, click here.
Lakeside Union School District
The district started distance learning on August 20. For the latest updates, click here.
Lemon Grove School District
The district started distance learning on August 26. For the latest updates, click here.
Mountain Empire Unified School District
The district started distance learning on August 19. For the latest updates, click here.
National School District
The district started distance learning on August 24. For the latest updates, click here.
Oceanside Unified School District
The district started distance learning. For the latest updates, click here.
Poway Unified School District
The district announced its plan on Sept. 16 to return to in-person learning. For the latest updates, click here.
Ramona Unified School District
The district started the school year on Sept. 1. For the latest updates, click here.
Rancho Santa Fe School District
The district started Kindergarten full-day on Sept. 14. For the latest updates, click here.
San Dieguito Union High School District
The district started distance learning on August 25. For the latest updates, click here.
San Marcos Unified School District
The district started distance learning on August 18. For the latest updates, click here.
San Pasqual Union School District
The district resumed on-campus learning on September 2. For the latest updates, click here.
San Ysidro School District
The district started distance learning on August 17. For the latest updates, click here.
Santee School District
The district started distance learning on August 25. For the latest updates, click here.
Solana Beach School District
The district started distance learning on August 18. For the latest updates, click here.
South Bay Union School District
The district started distance learning on August 31. For the latest updates, click here.
Spencer Valley School District
The district started distance learning. For the latest updates, click here.
Sweetwater Union High School District
On September 21 in a letter to families in both English and Spanish, the district announced that distance learning would resume through December 2020. For the latest updates, click here.
Vallecitos School District
The district started distance learning on August 20. For the latest updates, click here.
Valley Center-Pauma Unified District
The district started distance learning on August 25. For the latest updates, click here.
Vista Unified School District
The district school year started on Sept. 8. For the latest updates, click here.
Warner Unified School District
The district started distance learning on August 12. For the latest updates, click here.
