Print The youngest Solana Beach School District students are experiencing less Zoom and more in-person learning and playing as the district continued its phased approach of returning more students more days this month. Now kindergarten through third grade students are in school in-person four days a week. With third grade students returning on Jan. 25, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Sabrina Lee said at the Jan. 21 school board meeting that she knows there were smiles behind the masks: “You can’t see their faces but see their cheeks rise under their masks and hear the laughter in classrooms,” Lee said. In San Diego County, 429,556 students remain in distance learning while 25,781 are in full-time learning on campus and 58,881 are attending school in a hybrid model like Solana Beach. Solana Beach’s phase-in will continue with sixth grade students returning first on Feb. 8 followed by fifth grade on Feb. 22 and fourth grade on March 1. Superintendent Jodee Brentlinger said the district is starting the planning now to bring students back five days a week in the fall, while maintaining an online model to provide choice for families.