Superintendent proposes Mountain View Whisman schools stay closed until January

Schools across the Mountain View Whisman School District could remain closed until January 2021, following deep concerns by teachers and school staff that reopening would pose an unreasonable public health risk.

Superintendent Ayinde Rudolph, who made the recommendation Thursday, said it’s premature to attempt to resume in-person instruction after campuses were shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The more he spoke with teachers, principals and parents, he said, the more it was clear that there is too much reluctance and too much fear to make reopening work.

“I do not believe, at this point, we are in the best position to reopen,” Rudolph said at the Oct. 2 school board meeting.

School board members have yet to formally vote on the recommendation, and continued the discussion to a future meeting.

Across California, schools have been among the last activities to remain closed under COVID-19 public health restrictions. But state officials have since permitted schools in Santa Clara County to “fully reopen” for in-person instruction, and local health orders have followed suit. As of Sept. 23, schools could open if they abide by the county’s public health guidelines.

While the Los Altos School District was quick to jump on the opportunity, and is slated to welcome back kindergarten and first grade students on Oct. 12, the Mountain View Whisman School District has taken a slower approach — regardless of what is allowed under state and county rules.

One of the biggest hurdles for Mountain View Whisman is getting teacher buy-in. Rudolph cited surveys that found 46% of teachers did not want to return to campus, and that 17 would automatically apply to take a leave of absence. All 17 would need to be replaced by a long-term substitute, which would be extremely difficult.

“Seventeen teachers would bring the district to a halt,” Rudolph said. “We don’t have 17 subs that are sitting out. This is a pretty large number for us.”

At a town hall meeting with teachers last week, Rudolph said teachers made clear that they felt obligated to return if they are asked to teach on campus, but that they fear for the health of themselves — even if they don’t have a medical reason or other qualifying exemption — and their families. Even principals are reluctant to come back.

“Some principals expressed concerns about coming in, not about themselves but for their families. I had some principals who said that they hadn’t been to a grocery store since March, so there is a palpable fear that exists,” Rudolph said.

Representatives from the Mountain View Educators Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Stoking those concerns is that the district has already run the risk of exposing students and staff to the virus. Two weeks ago, the district resumed its Beyond the Bell support program for its homeless students. After just one week of operation, someone in the program had been exposed to COVID-19, causing one of the classrooms to shut down.

A survey of district parents found that 52.5% wanted a so-called hybrid approach, in which their children would attend school in-person for part of the week, while 47.5% said they wanted to continue with distance learning 100% of the time. When asked whether they send their kids to school if it meant switching to a different teacher, however, more than half said they would stick with distance learning, Rudolph said.

The willingness to return varies by school site. At Stevenson Elementary, 58% of parents said they would opt for distance learning, followed by Vargas Elementary at 55.3%. That number sinks to 43.2% at Landels Elementary and 34.9% at Mistral Elementary.

The problem right now, Rudolph said, is that there is too much uncertainty for teachers, parents and students. In constantly re-assessing when to reopen, he said the district is stoking anxiety and leaving families in a lurch not knowing when and how schools will resume in-person instruction. He said the district would be better off pushing the reopening date a few months out and focus on improving remote learning.

“My recommendation to the board … is that we remain closed until January, that we perfect the things that we are doing and that we solve the issues that we have,” Rudolph said. “That we stop putting our community through this ongoing turmoil we have, which is that every two weeks something else may change.”

Board members Devon Conley and Laura Blakely both suggested that the district could partially reopen only for students who need it most, including special education students and those who are still learning English. District data shows that many students, particularly at Castro Elementary and Graham Middle schools, are continuously disengaged from daily class activities. At Castro, 17 students are regularly losing access due to internet and technology problems.

“I really want to make sure we can do pods or extra supports because there are kids falling through the cracks, and I want to make sure we help those kids in any way that we can,” Blakely said.

Board president Tamara Wilson said reopening is a difficult decision that should be slow and intentional, particularly to avoid having to close schools again, and that no decision was being made Thursday. She said the discussion is ongoing, and balances both safety with returning to normalcy.

“I would hate to have the life or death of any child or teacher in my hands, but I get that it doesn’t make any of our lives easier, we are all stressed out,” Wilson said. “This is the worst thing that could be happening right now, and we’re trying desperately to navigate this with data and being thoughtful.”

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