Reopening Kennedy High School

By Jaylyn Preslicka, Editor-in-Chief, and Kaliya Trias, News Editor

Courtesy of ANAHEIM UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT

Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) announced an official plan for schools in the district to reopen. Seventh grade and ninth grade students will return on Jan. 6, 2021 to acclimate to their new schools. The remaining students will return on Jan. 11. All students will return under a hybrid model.

Kennedy High’s own social distancing plan will be enforced upon return with all classrooms accommodated to fit the CDC guidelines and to ensure the safest possible environment for anyone who chooses to attend.

According to the agenda from the AUHSD Board of Trustees meeting which took place on Oct. 15, “As of October 6, 2020, District zip codes continue to have spread rates within the parameters of the purple, widespread, tier. Should they enter and remain stable in the red tier, it will be appropriate to begin the process to return students for in-student instruction, beginning in January 2021 at the start of the second semester.”

This news strikes controversy as Orange County is in the top four most affected counties standing at 213 new cases and 56,283 total as of Wednesday, Oct 14.

After five months of online learning, upon return, students will have to abide by the new social distancing rules while present on campus. The District assures parents and local homeowners that everyone on campus will wear masks and keep a distance of at least six feet at all times. The hybrid model will allow a designated group of students on campus each day. The categorization of students is yet to be decided by District officials.

However, some students are not ready for the push into the new in-person school model. A large majority of students are struggling in their online classes and many are at risk of failure in the first semester.

“Even though they are saying we are going back to school soon I feel like we might not go back at all or it will be postponed” senior Monica Chicas said.

Teachers across the district share the same worries, some of whom are older and concerned for their own safety alongside the safety of their students.

"The district is pushing forward their agenda with no consideration for teacher safety. The safety standards are not the same across the district,” IB Biology teacher Paola Rosenberg said. “What really upsets me is the ridiculous schedule. If they're risking my health by forcing me back, why not improve the teaching schedule? This doesn't make it better."

While the District’s plan to reopen schools to in-person instruction has been voted upon, the plan depends on the continued trend of lower COVID-19 testing rates in District zip codes.

For now, school will remain online. Despite the struggles which students continue to face in the distance learning model, they must continue on with the same motivation and effort as they would in an on-campus class. Because soon enough they might be.