Richmond elementary school pivots to distance learning amid COVID outbreak
King Elementary School in Richmond.
RICHMOND, Calif. - Richmond's King Elementary School has reverted to distance learning due to a growing number of positive COVID tests, school officials confirmed on Wednesday.
West Contra Costa Costa Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst made the decision to go remote starting Jan. 4 and will continue until Jan. 11. The district had walked back their original statement that had distance learning in effect through Jan. 18.
Students returned from winter break this week, but school officials said by the end of one of the school days the positive case rate amongst students had reached at least 10.
"While other schools in WCCUSD also have had a high number of caseloads, King was different in that cases grew rapidly throughout the day and affected multiple classrooms," officials said in a statement.
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All students have access to their Chromebooks and will be expected to maintain their regularly-scheduled hours over Zoom.
The superintendent subsequently told the community in a letter that all the district's schools would close for Friday, Jan. 7 and Monday, Jan. 10, using its flexible "smoke days" the state allows the district to use at their discretion. Schools and offices will be closed on these days and there are plans for a deep cleaning of the facilities this Friday.
"The virus and large number of absences is putting an immense strain on our system. The rapid spread of the virus requires an aggressive response to ensure safety," Hurst said in his letter.
In his letter, Hurst said the virus and a large number of absences was straining the school system and that the rapid spread of COVID required an aggressive response.
"The safety of you and our students is our top priority, and closing school to prevent further outbreaks is an action we take very seriously and will only do when it is absolutely necessary. I do encourage you to quarantine as much as possible during the smoke days, and to get tested upon the return to school on Tuesday, January 11.
If you are feeling sick or exhibiting any symptoms, please stay home and get tested," Hurst's letter read.
The district is monitoring the situation and said they will make adjustments if necessary.
Just a day earlier, the district announced a new requirement for all staff to begin wearing K9N5 masks starting Jan. 10. The medical-grade masks are a step above surgical masks or cloth in the fight to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus that is currently experiencing a surge.
The district had also sent 15,000 at-home COVID test kits to students ahead of the Jan. 3 return from winter break. The district serves a total of 28,000 students.
Gov. Gavin Newsom was criticized for the shortage of rapid-home test kits promised for students as they returned from break.
KTVU's Zak Sos contributed to this story.