San Mateo County school districts brace for a third week of high infection rates, rally staff

Since returning to in-person learning two weeks ago, more than 4,230 students and teachers in the county’s public school system have tested positive, according to district dashboards. But numbers are likely higher given that some school districts have not updated dashboards, don’t include staff numbers in their counts or have not established a system for reporting numbers publicly.

Sequoia Union High School District has been hardest hit by the recent surge with 1,119 students and faculty having tested positive since Jan. 3. Superintendent Darnise Williams acknowledged the strain being placed on the school system in an email statement.

“COVID has absolutely stressed our system, and due to that reality, we are now beginning to bring parents in to support school sites,” Williams said. “Despite this reality, we continue moving forward with providing our students with a quality education, and as much normalcy as possible, given the circumstances.”

Managing staffing shortages

School districts have long faced staffing shortages that have been exacerbated during the pandemic, forcing officials to consider increasing wages for substitute teachers and to send out pleas for parent and community volunteers.

Omicron, being far more contagious than other variants, worsened conditions on campus as teacher absences spiked. Districts have managed to navigate the past few weeks by redirecting staff on special assignments or administrators to oversee classes.

Staffing at San Mateo-Foster City School District has been down between 7% and 9% in recent days, Ochoa said. The district has applied similar strategies to “rally” through the shortage but Ochoa said officials bolstered its “bank of people” available to oversee classes by hiring 25 on-site substitutes before this school year.

Still, Ochoa said the district is bracing for the next three weeks as COVID-19 remains a prevalent force in the region. About 120 students have tested positive in the district per week and an additional 100 students have had to isolate after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive mostly outside of school.

Ochoa said he expects similar numbers this week and encouraged the public to follow mitigation strategies like wearing face coverings, avoiding unmasked gatherings and hand washing, a message also shared by Dan Deguara, Belmont-Redwood Shores School District superintendent.

“Hope keeps us going in a positive state of mind but when we hit a bump in the road we just adapt and that’s been the motto for the last couple of years,” Ochoa said.

Kevin Skelly, San Mateo Union High School District superintendent, said staffing levels have greatly improved across the district, which has had about 362 positive cases including students and staff since the start of school.

During the first week back, Skelly said about 15% of teachers were absent on any given day but because of new guidance from the state that allows people to return to work after five days in isolation and a negative test, he estimated absences would drop by 60%.

“I would say it’s day by day. This week we only have four days so that makes it 20% easier,” Skelly said. “I think everybody’s tired and waiting for this to be over but I think we’re holding up pretty darn well.”

Students and testing

While the number of substitute teachers overseeing classes has “dropped dramatically” and administrators are no longer having to fill in gaps, COVID-19 cases among students have also declined but not at similar rates to faculty, Skelly said.

Teachers have made what Skelly described as micro adjustments similar to those made during flu season to ensure students are up to date on lesson plans, pointing to expanded access to technology as an additional support for keeping students on track.

As for testing, Skelly said the district is “stretched thin” but “in good shape” and shared appreciation for the resource being in such high demand.

John Baker, president of South San Francisco Unified School District’s Board of Trustees, said final attendance numbers from last week are still being tallied but early indications signal absences are dipping. The district hit a peak on Jan. 7 when about 23% of students remained home, he noted in an email.

But Baker said attendance is now being affected by some delays in PCR test results given that students who have either tested positive or have been in close contact with a positive case must show a negative test to return after three to five days in isolation but results are taking longer.

Still, Baker stressed the importance of following the protocol, sharing that his two children are fully vaccinated but have had to navigate the requirements after receiving “close contact” notifications both weeks back in school.

“We keep pushing through and following the steps because they’re in place so all kids can be safe,” Baker said. “Vaccinations, precautions and testing are the way to ensure that safety.”

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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