Clovis Unified School District delays bringing back secondary students

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Empty parking lots and vacant campuses - not the scene Clovis Unified staff had planned for the day.

"We were really disappointed to share news on New Year's Eve that we're making a modification," says Kelly Avants.

Last-minute guidance from the Fresno County Health Department changed their starting plans.

"They came to us with new guidance and we've always been committed to following the guidance that our local health officials have given to us, in which we hold on our next phase of returning for two week," Avants said.

Originally, Clovis Unified students 7th through 12th grade were planning to return to the classroom on Tuesday.

That plan was put on pause for two weeks after local health officials requested a delay over concern about a COVID-19 spike following the break.

"They just asked them to give them a bit more time to see how the community is evolving after the winter holidays," Avants said.

Students who already transitioned back to in-person learning last semester will still say on campus for the start of this new semester.

"The students who've returned and our staff who've returned are doing incredible work and are following the safety measures of entities to open safely," Avants said."

Clovis Unified is now hoping to bring secondary students back to campus January 19.

"Some of them are really struggling with this in person-environment," Avants said. "We also respect and value the role our health officials have made in this. We have to be prepared to adjust and pivot to folllow this."

They'll also be creating an online dashboard that will provide parents and students with a real-time reporting tool showing confirmed positive cases in the Clovis Unified community.

That will go live within the next week.