On November 3, Riverside County Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser and the California Department of Public Health approved the Corona-Norco Unified School District’s TK-6 Waiver application to reopen its elementary schools for in-person instruction. This is the first waiver approved for a public school district in Riverside County.
“This is one of the largest waiver applications in the state in terms of schools and students,” said Kaiser. “We’ve reviewed the district’s precautions and safety plans and they meet all current state criteria for precautions. We want kids back in school, but we want to do it safely, and this will not only give us that chance but also the real-world understanding of how we can safely operate large school districts during the pandemic.”
“We are proud to be the first school district in Riverside County to successfully complete the state’s waiver process,” said School Board President Mary Ybarra. “We know how important returning students to school safely is to our community. However, while the approved waiver grants us the permission to reopen schools, it does not mean they will be reopening immediately, there is still a lot to consider; including reviewing the input we received from our survey of the community and staff, to help us determine the appropriate time to reopen schools.”
The school board will determine reopening dates at its upcoming meeting on November 10.
“We are proud of the safety measures and planning our schools have worked to achieve in the preparation for the return of students,” said CNUSD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sam Buenrostro. “We know the emotional and academic needs of our students are best met with in-person instruction, and we are working to make that happen in the safest environment possible.”
Families who are not comfortable sending their students back to in-person instruction may transfer to our virtual program as space allows. Parents interested in transferring programs should reach out to their school site administration.
The Corona-Norco Unified School District consists of 31 elementary schools, eight intermediate/middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, a middle college high school, and three alternative schools. The district serves over 53,000 students in the communities of Corona, Norco, Eastvale, and Temescal Valley. CNUSD is the largest school district in Riverside County and the ninth-largest district in California.
