As of February 16, Los Angeles elementary schools, including Santa Clarita elementaries, were permitted to begin re-opening for in-person learning as the county reached California’s threshold for TK-12 school reopenings. 

This Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive day in which new daily COVID-19 case rate stood at 25 per 100,000, the requirement for allowing students in grades TK-6 to re-open for in-person learning. According to health officials, cases and hospitalizations continuously declined following the winter surge.  

L.A. Supervisor Janice Han tweeted Monday that elementary schools in L.A. County could begin reopening and hosting in-person classes starting Tuesday if in compliance with district and county health requirements. 

This is what we have been working towards.

Thank you to everyone who has worn your masks and kept your distance. Case rates in LA County are dropping.

Now we can continue the work getting our kids and teachers safely back in classrooms where they belong.

— Janice Hahn (@SupJaniceHahn) February 16, 2021

Elementary schools are required to submit their COVID-19 action plans and waivers to the L.A. Department of Public Health (LADPH) and California’s Department of Public Health to be considered eligible for reopening.

Additionally, LADPH Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer outlined what elementary schools are required to do to stay open, including proper mask use by teachers and students, enforcement of social distancing, stable cohorts of students with no mixing, regular COVID-19 testing, and immediate reporting of three or more cases within 14 days. Schools must also offer 100 percent distance learning options. 

In a statement released Monday, the L.A. The Department of Public Health stated that “This is an encouraging milestone and we look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders to ensure safety for students, teachers and staff returning to schools.

Monday’s announcement by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors came as an unexpected surprise to many L.A. school districts, including Santa Clarita’s districts. Due to this short notice, it is unclear which Santa Clarita K-6 schools are set to open and be approved by the health department. The Castaic Union School District and Sulphur Springs Union School District have rolled out action plans for when certain grades are expected to come back.  

It is also unknown how or when the process of reopening high schools will begin. As of now, L.A. County remains in the “purple” widespread tier, a tier above the requirement for considering high school reopenings. Small cohorts for high needs students, however, are currently permitted for high schools. 

“As we hear of the elementary levels being permitted to return to live classes, we must look at the differences between the K-6 and 7-12 settings and further discuss possible adaptations,” said John Minkus, the HDTA President at the Hart District’s board meeting Thursday night.

The school board is expected to continue discussing the reopening of high school in the coming weeks. 

To find out more about Hart District and their COVID-19 action plan, click here.  

See Related: An Overview of Thursday’s District Board Meeting

The Santa Clarita elementary schools that have submitted waivers and are awaiting eligibility include: 

• Canyon Springs Community School
• Castaic Elementary School
• Dr. J Michael McGrath Elementary School
• Fair Oaks Ranch Community School
• Golden Oak Community School
• Leona Cox Community School
• Live Oak Elementary School
• Meadows Elementary School
• Mint Canyon Community School
• Mitchell Community School
• Newhall Elementary School
• Northlake Hills Elementary School
• Oak Hills Elementary School
• Old Orchard Elementary School
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
• Peachland Elementary School
• Pico Canyon Elementary School
• Pinetree Community School
• Stevenson Ranch Elementary School
• Sulphur Springs Community School
• Valencia Valley Elementary School
• Valley View Community School
• Wiley Canyon Elementary School