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MCUSD closes school sites through remainder of school yearFree Access


By MATT JOHNSON, Assistant editor

After considering the latest information related to Covid-19, the Mariposa County Unified School District board of trustees has decided to close schools through the end of the school year, which is June 11. Students will continue to receive their education through the district’s distance learning program.

The district had previously decided to shutter schools through May 1, but needed to make a decision whether to officially close for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.

The board voted unanimously during a specially called meeting on Thursday. The meeting was held using Zoom video conferencing technology.

Mariposa County Health Officer Eric Sergienko provided the board with a detailed summary of what would need to take place if school sites were to be able to reopen soon, assuming it was safe to do so. It was an extensive list of measures which would need to be followed. (More information regarding those measures will be available in the April 30 edition of the Gazette.)

After considering those factors, the board members shared their concerns.

“I don’t see, logistically, how in a school setting, how you could do some of the stuff,” added board member Bob Collins. “A big thing for me is the timing of it. School would be out in June. We have little time to get things ramped up.”

Board member Kathy Chappell agreed.

“I totally agree with everything Bob and Judy said. I read the document multiple times. I can’t fathom how we could make it all happen,” Chappell said. “I can’t wrap my head around how we could make all that happen at all. It would take an immense amount of time.”

Chappell said one of her biggest concerns is that students would have difficulty focusing with so many changes to their normal learning environment.

“I don’t think the kids would be able to focus on the learning because school would look and feel so different to them. As a long time teacher (I have observed) kids need to pay attention to learn. If things are really different and weird, they can’t concentrate and they’re not paying attention. I don’t think much learning would be happening anyway,” she said. “We have such a short time left that they would be so consumed, especially the younger elementary children, just with the changes and how it works. I don’t think the learning would be worth the risk.”

Board member Wayne Forsythe said the decision “comes down to risk versus benefit, and I don’t see the benefit being outweighed by the risk. That would be my concern, is how much is going to be gained by going back to school with all those restrictions.”

Board president Steve Bacus then made a motion: “It’s my feeling I think we should move to close the school year down and call it a year.”

Bacus said the district will “continue with our distance learning. I know it’s a burden to our teachers… (But) our people are showing themselves to be great professionals in stepping up and taking care of what needs to be done. I’m proud of where we are there.”

MCUSD Superintendent Jeff Aranguna said “there is just no way to be able to provide that level of instruction, based on the guidelines Eric and his team put together.

“It’s too restrictive for us to be able to continue at this time,” Aranguena said.

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