Thread by @kystokes

NEW: L.A. County's Office of Education (@lacoeinfo) has issued guidance for reopening classrooms in the county's 80 school districts. The 43-page document has a lot of moving parts — so I'll tweet highlights.

FULL DOC: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6929… #lausd #lbusd #caedchat

As a starting place, @lacoeinfo outlines 3 basic strategies — and districts will have to choose a model "or combination of models that best fits their students' needs"

1⃣ "Face-to-face"
2⃣ "Hybrid" — mix of classroom and #distancelearning
3⃣ "Distance learning"

The guidance is like a choose-your-own adventure.
If schools go with model 1⃣, they'll have to consider one set of implications.
If schools go with model 2⃣, they'll have to consider another.
etc.

But a few pieces of guidance stick out:

- SOCIAL DISTANCING: 6 ft
- GROUPING: students should spend their day with the same, "stable" group of kids
- MASKS are a "best practice" for both staff and students
- DESKS should be 6 feet apart
- LUNCH in "non-congregate" settings

We may see those grocery store-style plexiglass barriers going up in schools.

The @lacoeinfo guidance calls for PPE to be provided to health and front office staff — including dividers in areas "where there is limited space for social distancing."

"At this time," @lacoeinfo says, "it is not feasible to provide testing for #COVID19 at schools.

"In the case of exposure, @lapublichealth will work with families and staff if testing is advised." #lausd #lbusd #caedchat

Staff or students with underlying health conditions will need alternate arrangements. Let a staff member work from home, @lacoeinfo advises; give students the option for full-time #distancelearning.

Some facilities reopening things:
- Schedule restroom use
- Schedule more frequent hand-washing
- Designate one-way hallways and staircases
- Buy/lease more portable classrooms
- Isolation rooms for kids who are sick
- Sanitize playgrounds between uses

WHAT WILL CLASSROOMS LOOK LIKE?

- 'A typical classroom houses 16 students + 1 teacher' — that's a smaller class size
- "Move classes outdoors whenever possible"
- Place seats 6 feet apart
- Benches in-between to encourage distancing

Here's a depressing guideline:

Fewer students in classrooms mean fewer desks … so what to do with excess furniture?

"Close the gym and use space to store unused furniture" 🙁

WILL SCHOOLS DO TEMPERATURE CHECKS? 🌡️

Unclear. "Pending recommendation from @lapublichealth regarding temperature checks and health screening at school."

UPDATE: @lacoeinfo is briefing reporters on the framework. @DebraDuardo and local superintendents are talking about the guidance. Watch this space for newsworthy utterances. #lausd #lbusd #caedchat

Hearing from local superintendents from @lancsdtwit and @ElSegundoUSD, I'm thinking:

Parents may be taking away the concrete pieces of guidance — masks in school, smaller classes, etc.…

But what educators might find most useful in @lacoeinfo's doc are the planning frameworks.

Q: Do these guidelines illustrate that schools are unlikely to reopen soon?

Supt. @DebraDuardo: I've been talking to a lot of districts and "all of them are really excited about reopening schools … They want to make sure they can do that in a safe way."

Q from @louisfr: Is this guidance or a requirement?

A, @DebraDuardo: Guidance. "The only thing that is required is for districts to follow directives of their local department of public health."

Q: Is there any part of this guidance that's more than a suggestion, like students wearing masks for example?

A, @DebraDuardo: This is still a fluid situation. If @lapublichealth (or others) issue orders, schools will have to follow

Another @lacoeinfo official jumped in to add that if the state issues guidance, schools have to follow "whatever is stricter."

My colleague @natchudnovsky asks a good question: Should the A/C be on in schools? <insert here: Chinese restaurant study> 🌬️

@lacoeinfo guidance:
- "Improve filtration" in HVAC systems
- Increase outdoor ventilation when possible — use fans, open doors, etc.
- No-touch controls

ANOTHER UPDATE: #LAUSD teachers union @UTLAnow issues a response to @lacoeinfo's reopening guidelines.

"Reopening schools must be bargained with UTLA," the statement says — and "there is no vision for safe reopening that does not involve additional resources for schools."

I asked @LASchools yesterday whether they'd have any response — they said 'not today.'

Clarification: I asked LAUSD whether they’d have any forthcoming response to LACOE yesterday, not to UTLA