Middle and high schools in Alameda County have been cleared to reopen in-person classes once they complete a COVID-19 health and safety reopening plan, county officials said Wednesday.
Nov. 9 is the earliest date those campuses will be allowed to reopen, but the decision and timing of when to reopen rests with each school and school district, the county said. Schools are not required to reopen.
"Some schools will need more time and should open classrooms only when they and their school communities are prepared to do so," Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda County's Interim Health Officer, said in a statement.
Parents and guardians should contact their schools directly for information regarding reopening plans.
Middle and high schools are required to post reopening plans to their school or district websites and submit the plans to the Alameda County Office of Education, which shares the information with the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency.
The Health Care Services Agency provides schools and districts with COVID-19 guidance and will help schools respond to clusters and outbreaks, the county said.
"We continue to closely monitor COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations," Moss said. "If we begin to see sustained increases in case rates, we will act to protect public health including restricting currently allowed activities as needed."
