School is in session at Pleasanton Unified

Though perhaps more anticipated than previous years, it was a mostly normal scene when students came back last week for the first day of school at Pleasanton Unified School District, where in-person learning is now in full swing for the 2021-22 school year.

Parents walked with their youngest children to elementary school while older students biked, drove or took public transit, and trails of traffic into parking lots signaled the return of students to full-time instruction on campus starting Aug. 11.

PUSD Trustee Steve Maher told the Weekly that it was an overall average return to school, “and of course there’s always a couple kindergartners crying.”

“For many kindergartners, it was their first time on campus so they were wide-eyed, taking everything in,” Maher said. “It was kind of cute, really; they were excited about school.”

One thing was not so common this year, however, according to Maher. “I had more parents than normal smile and say, ‘We’re glad to be back,'” Maher said. “They were just grinning and happy, and the kids got out of the car in a hurry.”

Families were also in a hurry when PUSD reopened for hybrid learning five months ago, albeit with limited face-to-face interaction in the classroom and strict social distancing protocols in place at the tail end of the 2020-21 academic year. Last week marked the first time any of the 15 district sites have been fully occupied since closing at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Superintendent David Haglund said, “Across the board, parents, students and teachers are happy to be back and into their normal routines. Teachers were engaged, students were engaged … and the general feeling was so glad to be back.”

The energy at Pleasanton schools on Aug. 11 was “even more accelerated” than reopening in spring, Trustee Kelly Mokashi said, and teachers “seemed more at ease, more comfortable in the newfound environment we’re faced with.”

The first-year trustee also called the interaction she saw between teachers and students on the first day back to class “seamless, back to the good old days — except for mask wearing.”

“The positive synergy from the parents, students, teachers and administrative staff was overwhelming,” Mokashi said. “The excitement and enthusiasm I observed in many many classrooms were a true testament to the benefits of the start of this school year.”

Social distancing among students or staff is no longer required in California public schools, but plenty of other guidelines for the ongoing pandemic are still in effect. The most visible reminder on Aug. 11 was face coverings, which state law requires be worn by students and staff at all times except when actively eating or drinking.

Students wore masks on their way to campus or donned theirs in the parking lot before stepping into the classroom. Some parent liaisons and staff members at Amador Valley High also showed off their school spirit with masks bearing the Amador logo and colors.

Mask mandates have been controversial in other states, but Maher, who made the rounds at several PUSD sites on the first day of class, told the Weekly, “I had three (students) come up to me and say ‘I forgot my mask, where can I get one.’ Other than that, they were all very compliant; I think very happy to see their friends and be back in school.”

“I only had one parent email me regarding masks that thought it was too strict, only one so far,” Maher added. “I didn’t see any pickets at schools, and the parent that asked about it was very cordial. We’d like to (eventually) do away with the masks.”

According to district spokesperson Patrick Gannon, “We’re hyper focused on both masks, of course, as well as sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces” — with particular attention on high-touch surfaces — but PUSD is also using technology to screen for COVID symptoms this year.

In addition to masking up, all staff members and students must complete a daily health screening by using their smartphone before stepping onto campus. The notification system for the screening can be used as a screening tool and allows administrators to pull reports and see if anyone recently came into contact with a COVID-positive individual.

Prior to the vaccine mandate issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom for all public school employees last week, Maher estimated “a good portion of our staff are already vaccinated … I’d say a good 80-90%, that’s a guesstimate.”

Haglund confirmed over 88% of students ages 12 to 17 have received at least one COVID vaccine dose and about 73% are fully vaccinated. “That keeps increasing, and that’s a good thing, especially for our secondary campuses,” Haglund said.

Certain immunizations are required for all PUSD students, with “very few” exemptions given for those with a documented medical reason, according to Gannon. The COVID vaccine is not on the list of vaccines required by the state, but the district is encouraging parents to have their students 12 and older that are eligible be vaccinated.

“We have a pretty high rate in our community, but it’s really, really important that we get those teenagers 12 to 17 that are eligible to get vaccinated,” Mokashi said.

“The transition back to school will be a positive process so long as we’re all continuing to also consider our health, safety and practices for being safe, and that includes masking up,” Mokashi added.

According to Haglund, “one of the most important risk mitigation factors is if your child is sick, keep them home.”

“If everyone could just be very, very conservative in their approach to illness right now, it would keep everybody safer,” Haglund said.

With the delta and lambda variants now circulating throughout the country, Maher said “there’s always the concern” of another lockdown, adding that “it’s the time we’re living in now until we get this thing beat.”

“Certainly there are some parents that are apprehensive; those parents are certainly apprehensive or have students that are compromised in some way,” Maher said.

For families on the fence about returning to in-person instruction, the district has Pleasanton Virtual Academy as an alternative option. About 200 are currently enrolled in Pleasanton Virtual Academy, according to Gannon.

“The superintendent and board spent much time advocating Assembly Bill 130, which includes requirements for independent study,” Gannon said. “In California, their focus has been getting kids back in the classroom. We advocated for a bit more flexibility in that law, and to provide more opportunities through Virtual Academy.”

“What will be interesting in a couple of months is maybe some of (the Virtual Academy kids) might want to come back,” Maher said.

By state law, if students ever wish to rejoin their peers in a traditional classroom, PUSD has five days by law to place them in a classroom, though it may not be the school of their choice, if no room is available.

Principal Josh Butterfield told the Weekly that students at Amador Valley High School have been eager to get back in the classroom.

“We have all students coming back so the volume of in-person students is better; our staff is excited,” Butterfield said.

But with the influx of additional students and elimination of physical distancing since last spring, Butterfield said teachers are striving to “re-establish routines for students” and “make this a warm place to return” during their first week of learning in-person.

“The focus is on the soft skills, making this a soft place to land,” Butterfield said.

Mokashi called the school year ahead “a process, road to recovery, and time for healing.”

“It’s not just the academics the schools are providing, it’s the engagement with peers, socialization, face-to-face interaction with their teachers and peers that is just as important as the academics,” Mokashi added.

Maher said that staff were asked “to get to know your kids again, even if they’re not new. Get them acclimatized to school again and enjoy school, what it’s like to be back. Don’t worry so much that they have to have 10 pages of homework by Friday.”

“That expectation will come but now get the kids back in softly — and that will be the same for staff, too,” he added.

A parent of three children currently enrolled in PUSD, Mokashi said a lot of students spent time the first day in class “doing fun games to get to know each other, different efforts with teachers — just really hands on.”

On a personal level, Mokashi said her son has already made a new friend in middle school. “That never would’ve happened during remote learning,” Mokashi said. “Now kids have the opportunity to actually engage with their peers.”

Mokashi added, “From my observation, the kids are adapting really, really well, and it speaks volumes to the smiles I’m seeing.”

Helping teachers and students reconnect is a major focus for administrators this year, Haglund said, as well as “restoration in cases of families that have suffered issues during the pandemic, helping them connect up with social workers to get access to resources.”

“The teachers are also beginning to bring in some of the new strategies they learned during remote instruction into their classrooms — we’re seeing a bit of a shift in that instruction,” Haglund said.

Despite a few hiccups, Maher declared the first week back to full-time learning at PUSD an overall success: “It’s a good thing; it’s just a happy time, what else can I say? It’s good to be back.”