Middle and high school students will be able to return to Carlsbad Unified School District campuses next week, school officials announced Saturday.
The California Department of Public Health approved the district’s Safety Review Request Friday after first denying a more ambitious plan, the officials said.
Officials said the two-day per week hybrid schedule will begin officially on Thursday, “as we’ll be in the red tier.”
They were referring to the county’s expected return to red-tier status. The move would relax pandemic restrictions for schools and other public places.
In their announcement, Carlsbad school officials said “separately, we also received notification that San Diego County will achieve red tier status next week.”
The changes affect Aviara Oaks Middle School, Calavera Hills Middle, and Valley Middle, along with Carlsbad High and Sage Creek High.
The district’s plan calls for certain groups of students to be on each campus two days a week.
Middle-school grades will be separated into two cohorts each, with one group attending on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other on Thursdays and Fridays. In the high schools, there will be two cohorts of ninth and 10th graders and two of 11th and 12th graders.
District officials said middle school and high school principals will send additional information to parents by Monday, with more instructions for returning to campus.
For high school students, Wednesdays will be for distance learning, officials said.
Lawmakers have weighed in on the ability of local districts to welcome students back to schools, while the state is tracking re-openings across California via the web for parents.
San Diego schools are looking at an April 12 re-opening, if teachers and staff receive one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
City News Service contributed to this report.