How Manteca Unified’s K-12 hybrid model has been received by some parents [The Record, Stockton, Calif] Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series examining the effects of COVID-19 on education. Coming soon, the effects on educators. MANTECA – Since November, Manteca Unified, the third largest public school district in San Joaquin County, has enacted a K-12 hybrid model for on-campus, in-person instruction. Though not perfect, some parents say it’s been an improvement over virtual distance learning employed countywide last spring and this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under Manteca Unified’s hybrid model, elementary school students follow a morning-afternoon schedule four days a week and high school students attend classes on campus two-days per week and participate in distance learning two days. All students distance-learn on Wednesdays when schools are cleaned and sanitized. Parents can opt for the district’s online academy or independent study program, which includes live instruction from kindergarten through sixth grade.