Lucia Mar Unified School District approves reopening plans, students could return to class within days

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. -- The Lucia Mar Unified School District has announced reopening plans that could return some students back inside classrooms as soon as next week.

On Tuesday night, the Lucia Mar Board of Education approved an updated timeline that would implement in-person education with an AM/PM hybrid model.

According to an email sent out to parents Wednesday morning, the district will begin a phased reopening should San Luis Obispo County remain at a case rate below 25 per 100,000 through Feb. 23, 2021.

The current adjusted case rate is 15.6 per 100,000.

Should the case rate remain below the threshold, elementary students in transitional kindergarten and kindergarten would return on Feb. 24.

Grades 1-3 are scheduled to return March 1, while grades 4-6 would return on March 8.

Secondary grades 7-12 will reopen within one week after San Luis Obispo County has five consecutive days in the Red Tier.

Should the County exceed the 25 per 100,000 case rate prior to reopening a grade level, grades TK-3 would reopen within one week of meeting the 25 per 100,000 case rate for five straight days, while grades 4-6 would reopen the following week.

All grade levels will operate with an AM/PM hybrid model.

The District also announced staffing will be based on parent declaration forms that were submitted last November that indicated if they wanted to keep their children in distant learning.

The Lucia Mar Unified School District is the largest school district in San Luis Obispo County

It includes all public schools in the South County, from Pismo Beach to Nipomo.

More than 10,000 students are educated at its eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, one independent student study school, and one adult education program.

The District first implemented distance learning soon after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic started last March.

The last day of in-person learning for the full student body at all campuses was nearly one year ago on March 13, 2020.