Although the CIF Southern Section made a decision to cancel fall sports championships, cross country recently received the green light from the state to compete.
When Governor Gavin Newsom lifted the regional stay-at-home orders late last month, that allowed certain sports to resume. But with Orange County still in the most restrictive “purple” tier of the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system, only purple tier sports are allowed. That includes cross country, which is currently the only fall sport allowed to resume competition under current state guidelines.
According to an article in the Capistrano Dispatch, some schools in Orange County have begun to schedule virtual cross country meets, where teams race independently on the same course and compare times. The article notes that there are obstacles to scheduling, as schools can only schedule dual meets against one other school, multi-school invitationals are subject to county health agency approval, and some county regional parks aren’t allowing races to be run there.
Dates for upcoming dual meets vary by league, but are expected to resume as soon as Feb. 6, as stated by the Orange County Register.
And here are some of the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Students in the Huntington Beach Union High, Huntington Beach City and Ocean View school districts returned to campuses for in-person learning this week. Students had been distance learning exclusively for about a month due to a spike in COVID-19 cases during the holiday season.
- Vaccinations are coming for school employees — but how soon? The OCDE Newsroom has posted five things to know about vaccines for school and district employees.
- In related news, Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares discussed the county’s plans to distribute vaccine shots to teachers and support staff once eligibility is expanded to the education sector.
- The Orange County Department of Education this week unveiled a series of grade-specific mini-lessons, activities and informational handouts on COVID-19 and the new vaccines.
- A growing number of districts have turned to organized video games — also known as esports — to provide students the team sports experience they’re missing during the pandemic, reports EdSource.
- The Los Angeles Unified School District could end up going to school for up to 10 additional days next year if the district and teachers union agree to extend the academic calendar.
- And, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday the district will delay in-person student classes and services of any kind while coronavirus infection rates remain high in local communities and teachers remain unvaccinated.
- Despite concerns from parents, secondary schools in the Laguna Beach Unified School District will remain closed for in-person instruction until the county moves into the less restrictive red tier on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring system.
- The Garden Grove Unified School District has adopted the coronavirus monitoring metrics in the state’s new Safe Schools for All plan as its strategy for reopening classrooms. But, district officials say local health conditions within its community will still need to improve before in-person instruction can begin.
- To celebrate National School Counseling Week, OCDE honored nine local school counselors for their dedication and commitment to Orange County students and families. The Newsroom staff highlighted four things you may not know about school counselors and the vital role they play in the education system.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.