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After a three-week hiatus from in-person learning undertaken to address an anticipated post-holiday surge in coronavirus infections and districtwide staffing challenges Newport-Mesa Unified School District is moving ahead with its plan to reopen middle and high school campuses on Monday.
Board members decided last month that secondary schools would return to distance learning at the start of the spring semester on Jan. 4 for a three-week period. The plan was to bring students back to campuses on Monday to resume learning under a partially in-person hybrid model.
With that date looming, and with Orange County coronavirus cases subsiding from recent record-breaking highs, Newport-Mesa Supt. Russell Lee-Sung on Friday announced middle and high school students were to report back to classes Monday.
After a three-week hiatus from in-person learning, Newport-Mesa Unified School District is moving ahead with its plan to reopen middle and high school campuses starting Monday.
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Citing rising coronavirus infections and related absences among students, teachers and support staff and the burden that’s placing on the successful operation of the district Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials have decided to pull secondary students back to distance learning in January.
Supt. Russell Lee Sung said in a special meeting Thursday the district faces a workforce crisis as more employees test positive for the virus or self-quarantine and as Newport-Mesa’s health department staff become overwhelmed by contact tracing and reporting duties.
Anticipating a further surge following the upcoming winter break, officials recommended middle and high school students return to distance learning upon the Jan. 4 start of the new semester, continuing to Jan. 22.