Will your kids learn online or attend in person? It's time to decide, says Fresno Unified

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As Fresno Unified moves forward with its plans to reopen schools next month, district officials are asking parents to make a choice.

Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson urged parents on Thursday to make their family's choice, whether they want their children to learn online or come to class for the next school year.

The district is just 34 days away from the new school year and the return of in-class learning.

"This isn't going away anytime soon, it is something we are going to grapple with, with our reality in the short or long term for a while to come," said Nelson.

RELATED: Fresno Unified schools to reopen on August 17

According to Nelson, if a parent doesn't make a decision the assumption is their child will be returning to the classroom.

He says they will be doing outreach via television, social media and other outlets to get the message out.

Nelson recommends parents make their choice based on their comfort level.

"I'm not going to sacrifice kids or staff members by running them back into a situation that we haven't thought through. Can I guarantee perfection? Absolutely not, it is not my intention to do that," he said.

Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla said during a normal school year, teachers would already have all their classroom information by this time.

He says it's the unknown leaving many Fresno teachers uneasy about the current plan.

RELATED: Fresno Unified says extra assistance may be needed to catch students up this fall

"We need to know what that is going to look like, what that is going to feel like, so we can start to prepare and if we are not going to return we also need to know what that is going to look like in order to provide the best experience," Bonilla said.

Last week, the teachers' association submitted a document to the district outlining actions and procedures they believe should be taken to comply with the CDC's guidelines.

Bonilla said if the district can't follow those guidelines, they shouldn't reopen.

"Schools should only reopen if they can be done so safely."

At the moment, the district continues to hammer out details which Nelson says are ever-changing.

What he is promising are various safety measures and guidelines across FUSD campuses to protect students and staff.

This includes plans to close a school should there be an outbreak.

Parents have until the end of this month to go online and make their decision.