Based on a March 14 joint recommendation from the Sonoma County Health Department and the Sonoma County Department of Education, schools and school districts across the county announced over the weekend that they have suspended in-person classes.
Though the closure is only meant to last until April 6, there are indications that it may last much longer, perhaps months longer.
In his address to the state on Tuesday, March 17, Governor Gavin Newsom suggested that students may not be able go back to school until summer is over.
This news came as a blow to many families who rely on two incomes to pay for the high cost of living Sonoma County.
Fifth District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said forewarned is forearmed.
“I am grateful that Gov. Newsom is being forthright about the challenges we face,” she wrote on her Facebook on Tuesday. “I have always personally assumed that once my daughter’s school was closed due to the threat of the coronavirus, she wouldn’t be heading back to school this year. Gov. Newsom today publicly acknowledged that it is unlikely that most of our schools will reopen before summer break.”
West County Union High School District in Sebastopol is already preparing for this eventuality. Superintendent Toni Beal said she “was meeting with department chairs and principals on Wednesday to agree on policies and procedures” for online learning. The district, which operates Analy, El Molino and Laguna high schools, put parents on notice that when spring break is over, students should expect to resume their education online as of March 23.
