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t U E S DAY, M A RC H 2 3 , 2 0 21
Reason to cheer
Local leaders condemn violence
Cheerleaders welcome students back as Lompoc Unified reopens junior high and high schools
Sheriff, mayor, public health director speak out on attacks against Asian Americans By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
COURTESY PHOTOS
A banner at Lompoc High School salutes the class of 2021 as students return to campus Monday.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Lompoc Unified School District’s secondary campuses opened Monday — a week ahead of schedule. And administrators report great student participation. The district planned for a March 29 reopening, at the start of a new quarter, and had everything ready. When Santa Barbara County reached the red tier, administrators had to quickly alert families about the earlier-than-expected opening, but the school sites were prepared. Cheerleaders and drum-line members greeted Lompoc High School’s students as they returned to campus early Monday morning. Administrators hung banners welcoming the Lompoc Braves, a mascot name appropriate for current students. Lompoc High School Principal Celeste Pico watched students arrive before the school’s
gates open, more than 45 minutes early to class. Better yet, they entered with masks on their faces. “They want to be here, so they’re following the safety procedures, and they’re excited,” Principal Pico told the News-Press. She didn’t see clumps of students and crowded hallways, and she described the transition as “very smooth.” Cabrillo High School Principal Mark Swanitz had a similar day. “The halls are so empty compared to what they’d normally, but the energy on campus is great,” he said. He only corrected a couple students on how to wear their masks, and they seemed to have just not noticed the mask slipped below their noses. “It went great. The kids were so excited, and we were so happy to see them on campus,” Mr. Swanitz said. Students followed arrows directing the flow
in hallways and stood in lines for bathrooms. The halls felt empty with just over a third of the student body on campus. Of the 1,200 students enrolled at Cabrillo High School, 330 are learning from home. The remaining students are split into two groups for a hybrid schedule. Teachers have an option to teach their two hybrid cohorts together or have distance learners work on an assignment independently. Each classroom is equipped with cameras to broadcast the instruction and follow the teacher. Splitting students into three groups (cohorts A and B and distance learners) required more staff. Still, niche elective classes, such as auto shop, are offered in person. Distance learners had a slightly abbreviated course catalog to choose from. Coordinating the schedules was a challenge. Please see LOMPOC on A2
Flyover supports inmates at Lompoc Prison By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
To show support for inmates who experienced the COVID-19 pandemic behind bars, the Lompoc Prison Task Force and the organization Love Your Inmate coordinated a flyover Saturday at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution. Organizers from Love Your Inmate gathered with family members of imprisoned persons on Saturday to watch as a small plane towed a banner that said, “FCC Prisoners You Are Not
COURTESY PHOTO
A plane flew over the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex on Saturday toting a banner that said, “FCC Prisoners You Are Not Forgotten.” The flyover, coordinated by the Lompoc Prison Task Force and the organization Love Your Inmate, was an environmentally friendly alternative to a balloon sendoff, which was the original plan to show support for Lompoc inmates. The environmental group Heal The Ocean chartered the plane for the event.
Forgotten.” Inmates watched as the plane flew overhead, filling them with a sense of love and support, Chrissie Rogers, a spokesperson for Love Your Inmate, said in an email Monday to the News-Press.
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“Many of the men witnessed the flyover from either the windows of their cells or (while) outside,” Ms. Rodgers said. “This flyover has been the discussion since Saturday. I immediately began to get emails from a few
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“I’m surprised there was an outlash like this one,” said Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura about the recent violence against Asian American communities.
said. “All such reports are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. “We will relentlessly pursue and apprehend the perpetrators Please see attacks on A2
State changes six feet to three feet Health officials now allow students to sit closer By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The California Department of Public Health updated its school guidelines Saturday to allow a minimum of three feet between students, instead of six feet, matching the CDC’s updated policy. The change could allow some school districts to offer in-person instruction five days per week instead of a hybrid schedule. The CDC changed its K-12 guidance Friday after reviewing studies that showed minimal to no difference of COVID-19 transmission in schools with three feet of physical distance when compared to schools with six feet of distance. “Part of what’s happening is at the beginning we made a lot of assumptions based on other viruses. And as studies come out, we adjust things,” Dr. Peggy Dodds, deputy health officer at the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, told the News-Press Monday. “We assumed schools would be a significant source of infection like it is with other viruses, such as influenza, but that was not the case,” she said. Dr. Dodds adds that oncampus transmission has been rare. Students who get the virus contract it elsewhere. The CDC recommended students in secondary schools stay at least six feet apart if the community’s transmission is high and cohorting is not possible. But CDPH did not specify the policy in its guidance. Prior to Saturday, CDPH required six feet of physical distance, or at least four feet if the
district makes a “good faith effort” to adhere to six feet spaces. The new three-foot minimum applies when all other mitigation strategies, like mask adherence and classroom ventilation, are followed. If students are not wearing masks, such as at lunch time, they must stay at least six feet apart. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has not discussed enforcing stricter regulations, according to Dr. Dodds. Santa Barbara County districts may adopt the new guidelines without submitting safety plans to public health departments because the county is in the red tier. The Santa Barbara Unified School District was not available for comment Monday, but a spokesperson for the district indicated Thursday that officials would be “following this development closely,” in regards to the three-foot rule. “If the guidance allows for desks to be closer together, we would definitely be looking at our calculations and measuring how many more students can be safely accommodated in our classroom spaces,” Camie Barnwell, chief of district communications, said. Districts should update the safety plans posted on their websites if they alter their distancing measures, Dr. Dodds said. The CDC and CDPH require a minimum of six feet between staff members and students, which is also stipulated in Santa Barbara Unified School District’s contract with the Santa Barbara Teachers Association. Please see distance on A2
LOTTERY
ins id e Classified............... B4 Life..................... B1-2
of the men full of thanks and appreciation. Some expressed how they felt the love and support, and others expressed how it made them feel alive again.” Please see prison on A2
Santa Barbara County leaders have condemned the recent violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The attacks include the March 16 murders of eight people, six of whom were Asian women, at three Atlanta area spas. Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested for the murders of Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Soon Chung Park, 74; Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Ae Yue, 63; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; and Paul Andre Michels, 54. After the murders, local officials commented on the violence. “All the men and women of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office denounce hatred, violence and racism of any kind,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a statement. “While we are pleased that we have had no hate crimes against Asian or Pacific Islander victims reported in the communities we police since at least the beginning of 2000, we want to ensure these types of crimes are reported to us if they occur,” Sheriff Brown
Obituaries............. A4 Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-23-27-34-37 Meganumber: 13
Monday’s DAILY 4: 3-8-9-6
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 9-14-40-58-69 Meganumber: 8
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 2-5-32-33-37
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 08-07-06 Time: 1:48.03
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 1-6-22-42-61 Meganumber: 4
Monday’s DAILY 3: 6-2-4 / Midday 1-4-1