This past week, Riverside County released the requirements for going back to school and beginning a hybrid-style learning. Although these requirements vary on age group, they are slowly being met as elementary school teachers plan to be back in the classroom by March 15th. Last week, Riverside County reached a case rate of 25 out of 100k, which was the standard that needed to be achieved for elementary schools to go back to in-person learning. However, middle and high school students will not be returning until cases are 7.0 out of 100k for over five days. Although this standard has not been reached yet, it seems as though there may be a possibility for students to return by the end of the year, as the current case rate is 11.3 out of 100k. To confirm these updates, Desert Sands Superintendent Scott Bailey released a letter just last week to all DSUSD families with information on students going back to school. Bailey addresses these new requirements in the letter and confirms that the district’s CSP (Covid Safety Plan) has finally been approved at the county and state level. These rapid changes within the regulations for going back have no doubt created more clarity for parents and teachers alike as teachers scramble to get their classrooms ready for students and the possibility of now starting hybrid learning.