The board made the decision during a meeting on Friday. Officials say due to an improvement in Merced County's COVID-19 numbers, students could phase back into in-person classes on November 2.
Families and staff members will have the option to stay on distance learning for the rest of the school year. Students who opt to move to in-person classes will be on a modified schedule.
Merced County is currently in the 'purple' tier of reopening California. Should the numbers improve or stay the same over the next two weeks, the county would move into the 'red' tier, allowing schools to reopen.