Reopening schools in person finally appears to be in reach of the Santa Barbara Unified School District — as soon as February 26 for elementary schools.
The County Public Health Department announced earlier in the day on Tuesday that it had sent a letter to the state department, urging it to allow Santa Barbara Unified to reopen elementary campuses to in-person learning within seven days of receiving the letter. All elementary school staff were given notice that reopening is imminent.
Even if the state denies the request, case rates are dropping steadily, and the district expects to be able to reopen in the near future either way. The adjusted case rate, currently at 36.4, is the number of new cases per day for every 100,000 residents of the county averaged over a week. The state requires the adjusted case rate to be down to 25 or less to reopen elementary schools.