Manteca Unified at all grade levels is returning to in-person learning on Monday.

And to reduce the possibility of having to switchback to distance learning in the future, district officials are counting on students to continue being forthright while performing mandatory daily screenings needed to secure the green light to be able to attend classes in person that day.

The reason is simple. If one person in a household is COVID-19 positive and a student from that household attends in-person learning, it would trigger quarantines impacting hundreds of students. That is what happened at East Union High and McParland School before the winter break.

Manteca Unified community outreach coordinator Victoria Brunn noted teachers and district staff understand the critical need for in-person learning and how it is more effective than distance learning.

However, Brunn said that is secondary to safety.

“Safety is absolutely our No. 1 priority whether it is for students or staff,” Brunn said.

It is why being thorough and honest in the mandatory daily screening is essential.

Brunn used an example of what could happen with a family with two parents that has four school-aged children — two in elementary school and two in high school. If one parent tests positive and/or is sick and no one else in the household is, any of the students attending school in person would trigger mandatory steps on the part of the district.

At the elementary level in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade it would mean two teachers and 60 students would need to quarantine for 14 days. But on the high school level at a minimum it would impact eight teachers and potentially 240 students.

While the students would be given homework packets just as if they were at home with the flu or another medical reason, the real problem is staffing.

Such a scenario would require 10 teachers to quarantine.

While Manteca Unified has shored up its ranks of substitutes, there would be a point if enough faculty members were in quarantine in-person teaching would not be able to happen.

“Things can always change from day-to-day,” Brunn said of in-person learning.

That means the district will switch back to distance learning if it has to do so.

Brunn said parents who are not comfortable with in-person learning should contact their student’s school principal regarding independent studies.

“We urge you to double down and keep doing the proven things that help minimize risk,” the district stated in a letter sent to parents before the winter break. “Easily remember them as the three W’s: Wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your social distance.”

Although it wasn’t mentioned in the letter, the district has pointed out that when they have had cases of COVID-19 reported they have all been contacted away from campuses and usually when families traveled to other areas or participated in large gatherings or events with multiple households. Examples include over Labor Day when several staff member were stricken and more recently over Thanksgiving when there were students as well as faculty impacted.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com