William S. Hart Union High School District officials confirmed Wednesday the district is going to start the Spring semester with distance learning.

As of Wednesday, Los Angeles County remains in the most restrictive purple tier of California’s “Blueprint to a Safer Economy,” which does not allow a full return to in-person learning, with a surge in COVID-19 cases pushing back any potential move to a lower tier.

The Hart District is going to continue with distance learning until guidance from public health officials allows in-person learning, said Dave Caldwell, spokesperson for the district.

Students, staff and families should plan to begin the semester in a similar fashion to the end of the fall semester, according to district officials.

The Hart District clarified this announcement does not mean the entire Spring semester is going to be all online, with administrators monitoring guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Currently, the only students allowed on campus, separate from the TK-2 grade waivers, are “small cohorts” of less than 12 students with specialized needs.

See Related: In-Person Teaching Allowed For ‘Small Cohorts’ Of K-12 Students In L.A. County

Starting in September, K-12 schools were allowed offer in-school services for a small cohort of students with individualized education plans (IEPs), students requiring instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) or students needing assessments or specialized in-school services, according to Dr. Muntu Davis, county health officer.

In addition to these cohorts, the Hart District also added a group of students without reliable access to technology, creating difficulty to learn online, according to the district spokesperson.

Those cohorts of students are allowed to be on campus as long as the school is able to fully implement the health officer’s reopening protocols, according to public health officials.

“This will get children who are in the most need of in-person learning back into their classrooms,” Davis said at the time.

Those receiving services are required to maintain small group cohorts of no more than 12 students and two supervisors and it will be a stable group of people to maintain safety for both students and teachers, according to public health officials.

Schools can reopen for in-person instruction for all students once their county has been in Tier 2, or “Substantial” tier, for at least 14 days, according to the California Department of Public Health.

To meet the criteria for Tier 2, Los Angeles County must have less than seven COVID-19 cases per 100,00 residents each day for at least two weeks, according to the department.

That number is 84.4 cases per 100,000 residents as of Wednesday, with an adjusted rate of 42.2 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the state.

All other Santa Clarita Valley school districts are set to continue distance learning, with several elementary schools issued waivers for grades TK-2.

Ed. Note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Hart District spokesperson.

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