PLEASANTON, CA – MARCH 4: Alisal Elementary School staff member Amy Wood, left, greets students as they return to campus for in class instruction on Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Pleasanton, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
PLEASANTON — It was the first day of school — at least in person— for some kindergarteners in Pleasanton as they stepped foot inside a classroom on Thursday.
Some students grades pre-kindergarten through second grade, of the Pleasanton Unified School District returned to the classroom Thursday for the first time this school year. The district is rolling out a phased return to school during the pandemic, with more elementary groups of students expected to return next week on March 8.
Alisal Elementary School first-grade instructor Erin Salcido teaches a class Thursday in Pleasanton. Some students returned to campus for hybrid in-person classes. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Students at Alisal Elementary School were greeted Thursday morning by Superintendent David Haglund. In a joint video message with the city of Pleasanton, the superintendent, the school board and city council, they encouraged the community to continue to wear masks and stay safe.
“We’ve said this from the beginning, we’re better together. So let’s do this together for our students and for our future,” Haglund said.
A total of 3,675 students grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade are expected to return to in-person learning, according to the district. Another 3,560 students grades six through 12 have elected to return for in-person learning. The district has about 14,000 total students.
If Alameda County returns to the red tier in terms of the number of coronavirus cases, and remains there for five days, grades six through eight will be allowed to return March 8, and high school on March 11. Grades three through five can also return on March 8, but their return is not contingent on the red tier.
Yazmin Alvarez, right, helps her son Joshua Villaverde, 6, with his mask before entering Alisal Elementary School in Pleasanton on Thursday. Some students returned to campus for hybrid in-person classes. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Elementary-age students who do return to classrooms will be in a hybrid model: split into two groups, a morning group and afternoon group, and will remain in remote learning when not in class.
