Private schools and public schools offer different learning policies

Ethan Man

While many of the COVID-19-caused restrictions have been set in stone, one guideline that continues to differ from place to place is how schools should offer education amidst the pandemic. Many public schools, like Carlmont, have taken the county’s recommended path, which usually results in distance learning. Meanwhile, private schools have had more leniency.

One such school, Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, has already experimented with returning to classes in-person.

“Bellarmine has required masks, social distancing, and they’ve made us fill out a survey every time we come on campus,” Evan Broccoli, a junior at Bellarmine, said. “They’ve also started pilot programs [to go back in-person], but I opted out since I was only going to have one class in-person in the morning.”

Conversely, public schools like Carlmont have mostly opted to stay in distance-learning until an effective plan is established.

Carlmont Principal Ralph Crame has seen firsthand the importance of county guidelines in determining plans for public schools.

“There are specific guidelines that schools in San Mateo County, and any schools in the state need to follow to make sure that they have a plan in place that has specific criteria that are addressed,” Crame said. “The bottom line is we want to make sure that students are safe, staff are safe, and we’re not exasperating the spread of COVID.”

While recognizing these protocols, students have shared a wide variety of sentiments about whether or not schools should return in person.

“There’s a consensus amongst my friends that we want an all or nothing type system,” Broccoli said. “Either we all go back full time, or we all stay online.”

Others, such as Tommy Chin, a junior at Carlmont, have expressed different views on the situation.

“I want to wait until next school year to come back, and start on a clean slate,” Chin said. “It’s already been tough this year, for students and teachers alike.”

In contrast, some students like sophomore Andy Liao, want to return to some level of regular school life as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Ethan Man

“I think if we get a vaccine before summer, we should go into hybrid learning for the rest of the year so we get some school experience,” Liao said. “Hopefully, by the next school year it’s entirely safe and we can go back to normal school.”

Others have prioritized safety over all other factors.

“I think the best and safest time to return is when vaccines are available for everyone,” Josh Sun, a junior, said.

Despite the different policies, students and staff across the Bay have been eager to return, antsy from staying at home for so long.

“From a non-scientific standpoint, I would love to go back,” Broccoli said.

Distance Learning for School Districts in San Mateo County

As of July 14, 2020 Virtual Instruction Virtual to Hybrid Learning Hyrbrid Format No Decision

183 public schools part of the 24 school districts in San Mateo County

93,221 students in the San Mateo County Public Schools