With the rise of the new Omicron variant of COVID19, a lot of students are expecting to be logging into zoom calls in the near future. 

Aniceto Castillo, a freshmen, stated, “I heard that so many kids were getting COVID and quarantine that the school might shutdown for a week or two.”  Many others have heard the same; however, this isn’t the case.  

In a message from the superintendent Olney on January 2, 2022, Olney states that the new Omicron variant seems to be less severe than the other variants we’ve seen. Right now COVID testing kits are available to help families find out if they need to keep students home in order to keep others from getting sick. 

Because the new variant is not as severe, it will not likely lead to a schoolwide shutdown. Most students that have been exposed to COVID are also being given the option to stay home or stay at school if they are not symptomatic. 

At the end of last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom made the following promise: “As we approach the new year, we reaffirm our shared commitment to one another, to our parents and to our students: to keep each other safe and to keep our classrooms open.”  Despite the rise in COVID cases, the governor has held firmly to this stance. 

Schools would only need to shut down if there weren’t enough teachers and staff available to run the school.  While you might have noticed that right now there are a lot of teachers absent, other teachers and district employees have been helping to fill in at various school sites.  

While a shortage of teachers has occurred in other districts in the state, it mostly resulted in the school site closing for a couple of days.  So the fear of returning back to distance learning is unfounded.   

Sultana High Principal, Larry Bird states, “During the pandemic, we realized we needed to be together.  So, we are going to make sure we do everything we can to prevent a shutdown.”  

Clearly, our principle, school,  district, and state are committed to keeping kids in class. Hopefully, this puts you at ease.  Thank you to all the staff and teachers who are making this school year possible.