The ongoing rise of COVID-19 cases has many school districts taking action. KCRA 3 spoke with representatives from several school districts within the southern part of our region. Here’s a look at how they’re responding:Lodi UnifiedIn an email, a spokeswoman wrote, “We have experienced staffing shortages but thankfully there have been no interruptions to services at this time.”The Lodi Unified School District has been actively recruiting substitute teachers by offering higher wages. Stockton UnifiedLike all schools in California, the Stockton Unified School District has updated how it contact traces, according to the new state guidelines.”We used to call people who were exposed. Now, it’s the entire classroom. An email, letters, sent out. We just want them to be able to take care of themselves as soon as possible,” Melinda Meza, a spokeswoman with the Stockton Unified School District told KCRA 3. You can find SUSD’s COVID-19 dashboard here. Manteca UnifiedIn an email, Manteca Unified School District released this information:”We are seeing higher numbers of positive cases as the virus and its variants continue to impact San Joaquin County. Importantly, Manteca Unified is doing everything possible to prioritize student learning while following state and local health guidance. We are grateful for our staff who continue to persevere despite the challenges, and families for doing their part as their children transition to and from the classroom when necessary. In fall 2020, MUSD worked proactively to create a hiring strategy for permanent staff and substitutes to counter temporary staff outages. Additionally, we worked early on to ensure that all teachers and students had the tools and resources necessary to be successful as many would transition in and out of the classroom. We believe these proactive measures play an integral role when prioritizing academic success, especially as daily operations become strained. Our day-to-day operations continue to follow state and local guidance as outlined in our COVID-19 Safety Plan: www.mantecausd.net/csp. Mitigations such as universal mask wearing, indoor air filtration systems, daily self-screening, and clear communication with families help to prevent school outbreaks while keeping student learning at the forefront. Recently the District distributed the at-home rapid testing kit, provided by the state, to all students and encouraged families to test by using the at-home kit or one of our free testing centers for students, staff, and their immediate family members. Positive test results, or symptoms, are reported via our Daily Self-Screening Survey which helps to keep the dashboard current and further, communicate appropriate guidance and support to staff/students experiencing illness. Manteca Unified has prioritized and operated in-person learning since October 2020, none of which would be possible without the commitment from our staff, students, and families.”Modesto City SchoolsIn an email, Modesto City Schools said:”You can view our COVID-19 dashboard on our website at: https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/covid-19. We update the dashboard with COVID+ cases for each site on a daily basis, and then we do a weekly update every Tuesday with the positivity percentages. The data includes both student and staff positive cases.In terms of district operations, all Modesto City Schools’ sites returned to in-person learning on Monday, January 10 after our winter break. As MCS has done since the beginning of this school year, our school sites and District Offices continue to have many robust health and safety protocols in place to ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for our students, teachers and staff.”| RELATED | COVID-19 in California: Find testing info, omicron updates, vaccine rates and boosters

The ongoing rise of COVID-19 cases has many school districts taking action.

KCRA 3 spoke with representatives from several school districts within the southern part of our region. Here’s a look at how they’re responding:

Lodi Unified

In an email, a spokeswoman wrote, “We have experienced staffing shortages but thankfully there have been no interruptions to services at this time.”

The Lodi Unified School District has been actively recruiting substitute teachers by offering higher wages.

Stockton Unified

Like all schools in California, the Stockton Unified School District has updated how it contact traces, according to the new state guidelines.

“We used to call people who were exposed. Now, it’s the entire classroom. An email, letters, sent out. We just want them to be able to take care of themselves as soon as possible,” Melinda Meza, a spokeswoman with the Stockton Unified School District told KCRA 3.

You can find SUSD’s COVID-19 dashboard here.

Manteca Unified

In an email, Manteca Unified School District released this information:

“We are seeing higher numbers of positive cases as the virus and its variants continue to impact San Joaquin County. Importantly, Manteca Unified is doing everything possible to prioritize student learning while following state and local health guidance. We are grateful for our staff who continue to persevere despite the challenges, and families for doing their part as their children transition to and from the classroom when necessary.

In fall 2020, MUSD worked proactively to create a hiring strategy for permanent staff and substitutes to counter temporary staff outages. Additionally, we worked early on to ensure that all teachers and students had the tools and resources necessary to be successful as many would transition in and out of the classroom. We believe these proactive measures play an integral role when prioritizing academic success, especially as daily operations become strained.

Our day-to-day operations continue to follow state and local guidance as outlined in our COVID-19 Safety Plan: www.mantecausd.net/csp. Mitigations such as universal mask wearing, indoor air filtration systems, daily self-screening, and clear communication with families help to prevent school outbreaks while keeping student learning at the forefront.

Recently the District distributed the at-home rapid testing kit, provided by the state, to all students and encouraged families to test by using the at-home kit or one of our free testing centers for students, staff, and their immediate family members. Positive test results, or symptoms, are reported via our Daily Self-Screening Survey which helps to keep the dashboard current and further, communicate appropriate guidance and support to staff/students experiencing illness.

Manteca Unified has prioritized and operated in-person learning since October 2020, none of which would be possible without the commitment from our staff, students, and families.”

Modesto City Schools

In an email, Modesto City Schools said:

“You can view our COVID-19 dashboard on our website at: https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/covid-19. We update the dashboard with COVID+ cases for each site on a daily basis, and then we do a weekly update every Tuesday with the positivity percentages. The data includes both student and staff positive cases.

In terms of district operations, all Modesto City Schools’ sites returned to in-person learning on Monday, January 10 after our winter break. As MCS has done since the beginning of this school year, our school sites and District Offices continue to have many robust health and safety protocols in place to ensure a healthy and safe learning environment for our students, teachers and staff.”

| RELATED | COVID-19 in California: Find testing info, omicron updates, vaccine rates and boosters

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