Will CVUSD students return to campus? District expected to provide update Thursday night

The return to in-person classes for students in the Coachella Valley Unified School District has remained up in the air as the district sought parental input on the major decision.

The district made a survey available from March 16 to March 21, asking parents whether they would prefer to continue with distance learning or transition kids back to campus.

CVUSD officials were planning for in-person instruction to return on April 19 and even submitted its plan to Riverside County. However, district board members began to express some concerns over bringing students back and changing their schedules and teachers with so few days left of this school year.

The survey was launched out of board members' desire to have parents voice their opinion on the decision. The board is expected to review the survey results during their meeting on Thursday, March 25.

CVUSD's plan as it stands would have students Pre-K through 6th grade return under the hybrid learning model. This means that students will be separated into to two groups. Students would have two days of in-person instruction and three days of distance learning.

Check out our coverage for PSUSD and DSUSD's reopening plans:

• DSUSD students Pre-K through 5th grade return to campus after year of distance learning
  PSUSD approves plan to bring pre-K to 2nd grade students back into classrooms

Another major issues facing CVUSD as it makes a decision is the availability of state grants.

Schools across California have to start in-person instruction between April 1 and May 15 in order to receive the "In-person Instruction Support Grant." Eligible funds from the grants would be reduced by 1% for each day of instruction between April 1 and May 15 that a local education agency doesn't provide in-person instruction.

The district would not get the grant if they do not start by May 15. The expanding learning funding is available until 2022.