California governor outlines strict guidelines for schools

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria Friday for school reopenings that make it unlikely the vast majority of districts will have classroom instruction in the fall as the coronavirus pandemic surges. The rules include a mandate that students above 2nd grade and all staff wear masks in school.

Newsom’s new guidance mandates that public schools in counties that are on a monitoring list for rising coronavirus infections cannot hold in-person classes and will have to meet strict criteria for reopening.

“The one thing we have the power to do to get our kids back into school? Wear a mask, physically distance, wash your hands," Newsom said.

The guidance says all school staff and all students in grades 3 to 12 will be required to wear face coverings. Younger students will be encouraged but not required to wear masks.

The governor’s strict new regulations marked a dramatic shift from his earlier position that it was up to local school districts and boards to decide when and how to reopen. His announcement came just weeks before many of the state’s 1,000 school districts are set to resume instruction in mid-August, with many still finalizing reopening plans.

With school districts struggling over the decision, teachers unions, parents and school officials have urged state leaders to provide more direction on whether it is safe to go back to school.

The state this week reported its second-highest one day totals in infection rates and deaths since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 7,400 people have died in California — more than 1,100 of them in the past two weeks.

Several large school districts have already said their schools will begin the new term virtually, including Los Angeles and San Diego, the state’s two largest with a...