Rise in COVID-19 cases prompts some private schools to switch to remote learning

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

Private schools in Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Ventura switched to remote learning after a rise in cases of COVID-19 in Ventura County.

Santa Clara High School in Oxnard chose to move to remote learning Jan. 3 when students returned from the Christmas break, said Patrick Allison, director of marketing and admissions.

Two more Catholic schools have since made the switch to remote learning, which started Tuesday.

La Reina High School and Middle School's administration announced Sunday it would go virtual for two weeks. School officials said they made the decision to "provide students with a quality education" from the safety of their homes.

Administrators at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura gave students the day off Monday to allow teachers to prepare to make the transition to remote, which started Tuesday and was set to end Friday, according to the school's website.

Only private schools are able to transition to remote learning.

Public schools in Ventura County must remain open unless the state authorizes the switch, said Dave Schermer, director of communications at the Ventura County Office of Education.

"Our goal is to keep schools open and safe," Schermer said.

As of Monday, 261 people were in Ventura County hospitals with COVID-19, according to data from the County of Ventura. Since Friday, 38,627 new tests had been administered and and 5,835 new COVID-19 cases were reported, the county said Monday in an email.

'A holding pattern'

At Santa Clara High, all staff and students were tested Jan. 5 with some positive and some inconclusive tests, Allison said.

School officials aren't sure when they'll return to in-person learning and are waiting until test results show fewer of its 212 students and 18 members of the staff are not positive for COVID.

"We're just in a holding pattern, waiting for test results," Allison said Tuesday.

Because the Catholic high school has such a small school community, administrators wanted to mitigate the spread of the virus with virtual classes. Once the numbers go down enough, school leaders will evaluate when to return in person.

School leaders at St. Bonaventure thanked parents and students for their support.

"With the rise in positive cases in our community along with a shortage of subs, we felt this was the most responsible decision for our school," a statement on the Ventura school's site reads.

La Reina students initially returned from break Jan. 3 for in-person instruction but the independent school for girls in grades 6-12 started remote learning Tuesday.

"This time around the variant has been impacting staffing availability," said Principal Maggie Marschner Monday.

Some of the school's staff who tested positive were asymptomatic, she said.

At La Reina, the virtual alternative will focus on "student learning and to support faculty," Marschner said.

Parents received an email Sunday from the principal and school President Tony Guevara about the decision to halt in-person classes. Students were welcomed back to campus Monday so they could get the materials they might need for the two weeks of remote learning.

Free on-campus COVID-19 testing will be available to students and staff prior to their return on Jan. 24, school officials said.

La Reina administrators said they may adjust the return date to in-person classes as necessary depending on a number of factors. The schools sports and co- and extracurricular programs will continue to operate with regular and routine testing.

Cytlalli Salgado is a breaking news reporter for the Ventura County Star. She can be reached by calling 805-437-0257 or emailing cytlalli.salgado@vcstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Some private schools moves to remote learning as COVID-19 cases rise