The Santa Ana Unified School District announced Monday its on-campus learning labs and group athletic conditioning practices will be suspended through Jan. 11.
The order goes into effect Tuesday.
The district had targeted Jan. 4 as the date when in-person learning could resume, but once Orange County was bumped back to the most restrictive tier of the state’s coronavirus monitoring system it became unclear if it would be able to transition that quickly. Schools that hadn’t already opened for in-person learning won’t be allowed to until the county gets its current surge of coronavirus cases under better control. Plus there is now a three-week regional stay-at-home order in place.
In a letter sent to the school community, Superintendent Jerry Almendarez said, “Out of an abundance of caution, Santa Ana Unified School District leadership has decided to suspend all in-person group activities involving students.”
The district has not offered on campus learning for most of its students since March. It did have the small learning labs that offered a “safe and supervised environment for students to access their virtual classroom.”
The labs were designed for students who had challenges with online instruction, whether that be connectivity issues at home, a learning disability or students for whom English remains a second language, officials said.
The district had 31 learning labs spread over most of its schools. Another 22 labs would have been added Monday.
Almendarez said online learning will continue, as will meal distribution services.
Santa Ana has been among the hardest hit communities in Orange County for the spread of the virus. In the past 14 days, an average of nearly 74 people have tested positive a day out of every 100,000 residents. More than 17,000 people have tested positive for the virus since tracking began.
In his letter, Almendarez said, “SAUSD will continue to monitor the latest health data and other relevant information. If the suspension of in-person group activities is extended beyond Jan. 11, the SAUSD will notify the community by Jan. 4.”
Santa Ana High varsity football coach Charlie TeGantvoort was saddened to get the news.
“It’s just unfortunate for the kids” TeGantvoort said after team conditioning drills Monday. “Getting ready for the season is great, but it was the mental health and positivity to their lives we were working on the most.”
Santa Ana was scheduled to open the delayed football season Jan. 7 in a nonleague game against El Modena. The CIF Southern Section, the governing body of high school sports in much of Southern California, stipulates that a football team must have 14 days of practice before they can play their first game of contact. An Orange Unified School District member, El Modena has not had the practice limitations that have been placed on Santa Ana.
“If we’re all out of school at the same, that’s easier to deal with,” TeGantvoort said. “That’s all we want. Make it even and we’ll take care of the rest.”
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