In a five to one vote at their October 13 Board Meeting, the Tehachapi Unified School District Board approved the planned opening of the TUSD schools in small cohorts or groups beginning on October 26. The Priority Cohort 1 students returning on that date will be those Special Education students with moderate to severe disabilities and individual IEPs.

The Tehachapi Unified School District District would like to reopen schools in a phased approach so as best to monitor the health and safety of students and staff and by adhering to health and safety guidelines reflected in accordance with current guidance from the California Department of Public Health and the Kern County Health Department. It is hoped that Special Day Classes (SDC) will resume on November 9. These will include the homeless, fosters and English Language Learners.

Those in the Resource Specialist Program would hopefully return on November 30 with others impacted by Distance Learning possibly returning by December 7. This may be modified depending on Kern County’s progress in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Superintendent Larson-Everson said that it is possible that all students can return to in-person education by the end of the second school quarter or December 18.

TUSD recognitions

Superintendent Larson-Everson presented four awards of recognition at the Board meeting.

JMS eighth grader Annie Loken received recognition from the Tehachapi American Association of University Women (AAUW). Loken was a 2020 Tech Trec nominee although Tech Trec did not happen this year. She is also a volunteer on the Bear Valley Springs Lake Quality Advisory Committee.

Twelfth grade student B.J. Zheng was honored as a National Merit Scholar. He completed his PSAT as a Junior and only 3 percent of students qualify as Juniors.

Leonard Evansic was honored for ten years of service on the TUSD Board and Board President Jeff Kermode was honored for his five years of service.

The TUSD Board meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Currently all meetings are being held on Zoom with the link located on the agenda, which is posted at http://www.agendaonline.net/public/tehachapi.