The Orange County Board of Education in California on Monday evening voted in favor of guidelines that call for the reopening district schools in time for fall classes and said it would not require social distancing and mask-wearing for its students.
The OC Register reported that
the school board, which approved the recommendations in a 4-to-1 vote,
has no power to demand the county’s 27 school districts to reopen and
the ultimate decision will rest with individual districts. The Orange
County Department opposes reopening, the report said.
The Los Angeles Times reported
that the school board pointed to a white paper with safety
recommendations and called the months of widespread remote learning an
“utter failure” for students.
“Among our greatest responsibilities as adults is our responsibility to
model courage and persistence in the face of uncertainty and fear, which
is what many families are feeling with the mixed messages and confusion
surrounding reopening of schools in the COVID-19 era,” the paper said,
according to the report.