Kings Canyon Unified School District submitting waiver to bring students back in person

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Kings Canyon Unified School district is ready for kids to return to the classroom.

Janie Chiasson's classroom at Great Western Elementary is ready for her third grade students, but in-person learning will look very different.

"Basically, half the class will come on the Monday-Thursday schedule, and the other half will come on the Tuesday-Friday schedule," explained Renee Delport with the Kings Canyon Unified School District.

Color-coordinated, socially distant desks and modified schedules are just some of the many changes.

"There will be daily self temperature checks that each of our families will need to do and we'll be implementing a digital system for that," said Delport.

The district is submitting a waiver by end of the week asking to bring students TK through 6th grade back to school.

Here's how it works: the littlest learners will attend class every day.

"We know that one of the most important markers of academic success is that students can read by third grade," said Delport. "That's really important that we're able to see students in that age group on a daily basis."

To reduce the number of kids in the classrooms, TK and kindergarteners will have class either in the morning or afternoon and to maintain a social distance, the district is adding additional classes for 1st and 2nd grade.

"Our schools went in and found out what classes are being used that can be a resource room, or maybe there was additional locations where we could add classrooms on the campus and that way we could add classes for TK-2nd."

The plan then has grades 3rd-6th on a Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday schedule.

"We just know that in-person connection - there's just no beating that," said Delport.

Parents can also choose to keep their students on a distance learning plan. Kings Canyon hopes to have students back in the classroom Thursday, October 15th.