COVID Schools: Interactive Maps Provide Snapshot On Bay Area School Reopening Status
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – As a growing number of school districts prepare to reopen for in-person instruction, California state officials have launched interactive maps offering a snapshot on the reopening process.
The maps, currently in Beta on the state's COVID-19 website, show the status of public school districts, charter schools and private schools on their primary mode of teaching in elementary, middle and high school levels.
Additional information provided by the maps include links to each district or school's safety plan, the amount of federal and state relief funds received for public districts and charter schools, along with the amount of PPE on hand.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health announced they would add additional data, including outbreaks reported and if they have partnered with the Valencia Branch Laboratory on COVID-19 testing. Student enrollment data would also be on the map, pending approval from the legislature.
"As COVID-19 conditions continue to improve and vaccinations ramp up throughout the state, this map will provide local communities with accessible, up-to-date information on how districts in their communities and beyond are adapting to the pandemic, including safety planning and implementation," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "This map is one of many resources we have made available that will help school staff and families make informed decisions as we safely reopen our schools."
The maps were introduced amid an ongoing debate over reopening schools to in-person instruction throughout the Bay Area and California.
In San Francisco, city officials have taken the drastic step of seeking an emergency court order to reopen campuses citing numerous reasons, including mental health concerns among students under distance learning, and private schools being open for months.
In a visit to the COVID-19 mass vaccination site in San Francisco's Moscone Center on Friday, Newsom said opening schools is a priority, particularly among younger students.
"We need to get our schools reopened in the state of California for our youngest cohorts. We can do that safely," Newsom said, "Our kindergartner students, our 1st- and 2nd graders first. We'll get our 3rd- 4th- 5th- and 6th- graders in as a second cohort. Our special needs kids, those foster kids, those kids that are homeless, need to be in in-person instruction safely. We can do that as a state, working with the legislature to support efforts at the local level."