California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that the state might begin the fall school year as early as this summer after schools shuttered across California this spring due to the coronavirus.
Newsom said the state is considering the idea of reopening schools "as early as late July, early August" for the fall year over concerns regarding loss of learning due to school closures last March.
"We believe we are weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications to that indicator and in this space," Newsom said. "We recognize there has been a learning loss because of this disruption. We're concerned about this learning loss even into this summer."
Newsom cautioned there had been no decisions over when the fall school year begins, but that the state is considering the early start to get students back into classrooms.
According to Newsom, that'll depend on how COVID-19 cases trend and progress on testing.
"But I want to caution everybody. If we pull back too quickly and we walk away from our incredible commitment, and it could start a second wave that could be even more damaging than the first," Newsom added.
It's unclear if this would affect non-traditional school schedules in the state.
Since California's stay-at-home order, schools around the state have transitioned to virtual or distance learning.
