The Irvine Unified School District has rejected the Orange County Board of Education’s decision to adopt guidelines for school reopening without face masks or social distancing. IUSD will not follow the board’s recommendations.

In a Tweet, Tuesday July 14, IUSD affirmed it was “not governed” by the OC Board of Education, and that any decision to reinstitute in-person education would be done at the direction of both the state and county health departments.

A statement was posted on the IUSD website with more detailed language:

“In the wake of the Orange County Board of Education’s meeting on July 13, in which they approved a white paper with alternative recommendations for reopening schools, there has been some confusion over their role as it relates to OC schools and guidelines for the upcoming school year. To be clear, IUSD is not governed by the OC Board of Education and our District will not follow their non-binding recommendations for the 2020-21 school year. It should also be noted that the five-member OC Board of Education has separate responsibilities from the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE).

OCDE staff and County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares have worked with local school district leaders to develop “Orange County Together: A guide to safely reopening schools in the COVID-19 era,” which is in alignment with the California Department of Public Health guidelines. OCDE guidelines for OC schools, including IUSD, stress the importance of social distancing and face coverings. Both IUSD and OCDE are 100 percent committed to following and sharing the guidance of the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Care Agency.”

Earlier this week, County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares issued a statement, addressed the confusion surrounding the Board of Education’s ability to reopen schools.

In his statement, Mijares explained that the board never had the authority to order schools to reopen, regardless of any recommendations adopted.

“The board majority’s recommendations are not binding. Locally elected school boards and superintendents will approve and implement plans specific to their districts based on the needs of their schools and communities,” Mijares wrote.

At the university level, UC Irvine has announced that it would hold the majority of classes online. In a campus-wide COVID-19 preparation guide created by UC Irvine’s Division of Student affairs, UC Irvine leadership explained that reopening would be reevaluated closer to winter and spring.

“Almost all undergraduate courses will be delivered in a remote format in the fall quarter. A few exceptions are being evaluated, and consist of specialized upper-division labs, specific clinical and experiential courses, and some design courses in Engineering. Details on these exceptions will be shared as they are finalized.”

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