Educators grapple with school closure plan

The higher priority for administrators and teachers though is assuring students across the Peninsula are able to make the most of their new unconventional classrooms away from campus.

“Regardless of the challenges, we will continue to deliver education to students,” she said. “And even more importantly, maintain a connection to what students understand as routine and normal.”

San Mateo County schools were instructed to close Friday, March 13, under the direction of health officials seeking to slow the spread of novel coronavirus. The following Monday, a shelter-in-place mandate arrived instructing all nonessential workers to stay home.

Magee noted the difficulties faced by an education community internalizing increasingly austere orders in an abbreviated period.

“It’s pressure and certainly a huge sense of responsibility,” she said. “And imagine you think you processed one kind of shocking set of information and then here’s another and here’s another.”

Which is why when Newsom’s remark about the potential for the extended break occurred, Magee said more collaboration was required before arriving at any conclusions. Also, she said officials must remain prepared for the chance that classes could resume before the year is over.

Joan Rosas, superintendent of the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, shared a similar perspective.

“We are always looking ahead. We will take proactive steps and look at how to continue learning should the shelter-in-place order be extended,” she said. “For example, between now and spring break our team is working on how to provide expanded technology access to our students.”

Peter Feng, spokesman for the South San Francisco Unified School District, agreed too.

“The district will continue to stay focused on how we can best support our students through this time of uncertainty,” he said in an email. “We very strongly believe that all schools in California will reopen. It’s just a matter of when.”

One less thing the school community will need to worry about during an uncertain time is standardized testing, which state education officials suspended Wednesday, March 18, for the rest of the year.

For her part, Magee suggested the decision could ease the reinitiation process for students and teachers — if classes start again. The California Teachers Association echoed that thought.

“Test scores would mean nothing but a source of stress for our kids. Anxiety and emotions are rampant among us and we need to take this time to focus on the needs of our students, their health and safety, and ensuring they have nutritious meals,” said President E. Toby Boyd, in a prepared statement.

Relatedly, Magee said educators are feeling their fair share of difficult emotions during an unprecedented time. And while a long stretch of staying at home is just beginning, with many unanswerable questions ahead, she expressed confidence the school community would grow stronger through the process.

“What’s not uncertain is that we are going to get through this,” she said. “We are going to get through it and learn a lot of interesting things.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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