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Students Head Back To School Campuses
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After a brief shutdown following a handful of COVID-19 cases within the Escalon Unified School District before Thanksgiving, in person instruction will resume Thursday, Dec. 3.

In a communication from the District Office on Tuesday, Dec. 1, officials announced that the school board continued with its plan to reopen all Escalon school sites to the in-person learning.

“All schedules including bell schedules and bus schedules will remain the same as they were the week before Thanksgiving,” the district statement indicated.

It went on to add that “A change to the State of California guidance for the use of face coverings has caused a change to the District’s reopening plan.”

The state is requiring all individuals above the age of 2 to wear masks outside their home. That means students that were previously exempt from that guidance, those in kindergarten through second grade, must now also wear a mask at school.

Students outdoors in PE engaged in strenuous exercise will not be required to wear a mask as long as there is at least six feet of social distancing observed.

“The district is working hard to keep schools open,” the statement noted. “We can enforce our safety protocols at school but cannot while students are not at school. Please help by wearing masks when outside your home and maintain social distancing as much as possible.”

Again, students with COVID-19 symptoms or those that have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19 should remain home.

“Keeping children home while they are experiencing symptoms helps stop the spread of COVID-19 and will help our schools to remain open,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, a directive from the California Interscholastic Federation indicated it is likely there won’t be any return to youth or high school sports until January, 2021 at the earliest and the CIF has also determined to forego high school championship contests in the ‘Season 1’ sports for the 2020-21 school year as a result.