Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Supervisors held a pair of virtual community meetings Thursday to brief parents, caregivers and students on what it does and does not yet know regarding the fall semester, which begins September 2. And like the previous Zoom board meetings, interest was high. The 9 a.m. session was extended by 30 minutes due to the abundance of questions from the more than 450 people listening, yet had not yet been answered by the scheduled 11 a.m. end time.
The long list of uncertainties surrounding the upcoming school year just got a little shorter.
Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education held a morning virtual community meeting Thursday to brief parents, caregivers and students on what it does and does not yet know regarding the fall semester, which begins September 2. A second meeting will be offered at 6 p.m. on Thursday night.
On July 1 parents and caregivers of students at The Children’s School at Claremont McKenna College received a surprise email announcing the school would not reopen for the fall 2020 or spring 2021 semesters. “We are committed to your child’s learning, growth, and safety at The Children’s School. We write today with what we know will be a disappointing update on our plans for fall," said CMC President Hiram Chodosh.
Claremont High School graduate Isabella Jakini holds a picture of her friend Dana Sanchez as she receives her diploma from CHS Principal Brett O’Connor on Tuesday during a drive-up commencement at the school. Ms. Jakini brought her friend’s portrait along because Ms. Sanchez, who is also a member of the class of 2020, could not attend in person. Mr. O’Connor had hoped to hold a more traditional graduation ceremony this summer, however as coronavirus cases spiked over the last few weeks, the administration opted for the drive-up model. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
The Claremont Unified School District Board of Supervisors has rescheduled and restructured tomorrow’s virtual community meetings in an effort to assuage working parents who had voiced concern over their timing.
The meetings are now being combined into two identical presentations and Q and A sessions—the first from 9 to 11 a.m. and the second session from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 30. Parents and caregivers of all CUSD students from PK through 12th grades are invited to attend either meeting.
With Claremont Unified School District officially going to online school in the fall, parents and caregivers are readying for their new role as de-facto homeschool teachers and those who work outside the home are balancing this responsibility with full-time employment. Adjusting to the new, ever-changing normal has forced parents and caregivers to delve into a whole host of new skill sets. And, like most issues these days, the reviews are mixed.
The Claremont Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday that all students will attend online school when classes begin September 2.
Each of the five board members sited public health as the overriding reason for supporting the move.
Claremont High School Principal Brett O’Connor announced on Thursday that due to the recent spike in coronavirus cases the school is cancelling its in-person graduation ceremony scheduled for July 30. In its place they will have a drive up commencement at the school on July 28 and 29 between the hours of 2 and 8 p.m. COUREIR photo/Steven Felschundneff
Already facing unprecedented pressure and looming financial setbacks from a worldwide pandemic and California’s spiking COVID numbers, the schools were rocked last week by President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US Department of Homeland Security would pull visas from international college students and order to return to their home countries if they did not attend at least some classes in person, on college campuses.
The Claremont Unified School District Board of Education tomorrow will decide whether to reverse course, when it votes on a recommendation “to open the 2020-2021 school year in Phase One of CUSD's ‘COVID-19 2020-21 Return To School Continuum Plan,’ and to remain in this phase until further notice.”
If it passes, all students will be attend online school when classes begin September 2.
Claremont Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to implement a “blended learning program” for 2020-2021, and to open up each of its 10 campuses for in-person learning beginning September 2.
In approving the recommendation from the district’s reopening task force it mandated the following steps.
Charles Jiang and Salma Mohideen recently started Claremont Fresh, a free service connecting volunteers with Claremont residents who are in need of assistance with grocery shopping or running errands The pair are still looking for more Claremonters in need of a hand and those who want to be errand runners.
A line of Claremont High School seniors receive congratulations on their graduation from parents and former teachers as they walk past Sycamore Elementary School on Monday in Claremont. The parade served as a coronavirus-era stand in for the “senior day” tradition where graduates return to their grade schools to greet the current elementary students. COURIER photo Steven Felschundneff
Claremont High School graduate Hannah Gransden poses for a picture in front of the school on Saturday with her sister CHS alumni Abigail Gransden. The class of 2020 was on campus to retrieve their caps and gowns, but also to have a formal picture taken and give a brief video testimonial. The commencement ceremony scheduled for this week has been put off until July 31, however, it remains unclear what exactly that graduation will look like. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
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