With the first day of school only a day away, Gilroy Unified School District officials worked throughout Aug. 11 to finalize class rosters and schedules under the new distance learning format.
Many parents reached out to the school district through social media and other means, wondering when their children’s schedule would be posted. GUSD responded by noting that the schedules would be finalized throughout the day on Aug. 11.
Curriculum and Instruction Director Deborah Padilla said during the GUSD Board of Education’s Aug. 6 meeting that students would have to wait a little longer than usual to receive their schedules due to the district assigning teachers to the new Virtual Learning Academy and other programs.
“I promise they will have it before school starts,” she said.
Students will be notified by email and through the Aeries system when their schedule is posted, according to Padilla.
The first day of school, as well as the entire fall semester, will look different this year after the Board of Education approved the distance learning program on July 14 in response to public health orders.
Under the program, students will receive live virtual instruction with their teachers during a set schedule. As an alternative, students can enroll in the Virtual Learning Academy for the entire school year. About 400 students have signed up for the independent learning program, according to Superintendent Deborah Flores.
It is unknown when campuses will reopen. On July 17, the California Department of Public Health released updated guidance for schools that set metrics that all schools must use to determine whether to reopen to in-person instruction.
Schools can reopen only when their county has been off the state Covid-19 monitoring list for 14 days and at least five percent of the total number of teachers/students/staff cases are within a 14-day period, among other things.
District staff will begin distributing meals to students on Aug. 12 at six school sites daily from noon to 2pm: Eliot Elementary, Glen View Elementary, Las Animas Elementary, Luigi Aprea Elementary, Rod Kelley Elementary and South Valley Middle School.
Applications for free and reduced meal service are now being accepted.
For information, visit gilroyunified.org.
