By Cate Meister
On Wednesday, Sept. 1, all Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) students returned to school for the first time since March of 2020. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, students will attend completely in-person, with Coast High School as the online alternative.
The district’s reopening plans, which are based on county and state public safety guidelines, are subject to change as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.
Students are required to wear masks while indoors but are permitted to take them off when they go outside. Any student who fails to do so will be provided with one by the school. District vehicles will also require masks for students who ride.
The current plan places heavy emphasis on hygiene and mask wearing, with signs located around school campuses encouraging hand washing and facial coverings. The district further recommends that students avoid touching their faces, particularly their eyes, mouths and noses.
HBUHSD will be relying on self-monitoring to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Students and staff should check daily for COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever and cough. The district asks that students take their temperatures before attending school each day and expects that any student with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher stays home. Any student on campus found to have this temperature or higher will be sent home immediately.
Students at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) will no longer be following a block schedule, instead returning to the school’s traditional schedule. This means that on-campus lunch will once again be available to students; HBUHSD suggests that students avoid indoor eating in places like the cafeteria and instead opt to eat their lunches outside. All students will have access to school-provided meals for the 2021-2022 school year, continuing last year’s meal program.
Schools will clean classrooms as specified by the California Department of Public Health, which recommends sanitizing classrooms on a daily basis. Schools will also provide hand sanitizer for students, and frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned often.
FVHS students will have access to a variety of mental health resources, including school psychologist Cynthia Olaya and the Student Support Center.
