After nearly a year, Santa Barbara Unified elementary schools will be reopening to in-person instruction on Monday, March 1.
The school board unanimously voted Tuesday night after the Santa Barbara County COVID case rate dropped to 16.9, which is lower than the 25 threshold required for elementary reopening. Secondary schools may reopen once it drops below 7.
“There has been a tremendous amount of work done in preparation for this day,” Superintendent Hilda Maldonado said. “We continue to advocate for all of our teachers and school staff to get vaccinated. But with all of this, I realize that there will still be people without vaccines, people who haven’t had equitable access to testing, or who feel isolated from their loved ones.”