Transition to distance learning continues for local school districts

School was in session — at least off campus — on Monday in several local districts as officials try to salvage what’s left of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Campuses across most districts are not scheduled to open again to in-person classes until mid-April, though state officials have said schools might need to be remain closed much longer.

The Huntington Beach City district launched its distance learning plan Monday, on what Supt. Gregg Haulk called “the first day of a new school year.” The district closed its campuses March 16 and plans to keep them shut through April 17.

As the district transitions to a new online environment, work given to students may be old or new material while teachers work through the changes.

Elementary and middle school teachers will give assignments with flexible due dates.

“The goal is to have teachers and students practice and feel confident working within the new learning platform,” Haulk said in a statement.

Students can interact with teachers through email, Class Dojo, Remind, School Loop, Google Classroom and other methods. Instructional platforms vary teacher to teacher, depending on what they’ve used previously.

“Working together will get us through this challenging time. We will take this one day at a time and continue to reevaluate and refine what we do to support our students,” Haulk said.

The district distributed Chromebook laptop computers on Friday and Monday to families without home access to such devices. A second wave of pickups could come Thursday, district staff said.

The Fountain Valley School District, which includes elementary and middle schools, is releasing weekly distance learning activities by school and grade level.

The Coast Community College District, which includes Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Golden West College in Huntington Beach and Coastline College in Fountain Valley, resumed instruction online Monday after shutting down classes for two weeks for transition and the regularly scheduled spring break.

The district plans to keep its campuses closed the rest of the spring semester, which runs until late May.

Distance learning continues in the Newport-Mesa and Laguna Beach Unified school districts, which began programs in the past two weeks.

The Ocean View School District said Friday that online instruction would launch Wednesday and be accessible through any device with internet connectivity. The district distributed Chromebooks on Monday and Tuesday for families without such devices at home.

The Huntington Beach Union High School District did not immediately comment Monday about its distance learning plans.

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