Ukiah schools plan Dec. 7 reopening — Fort Bragg punts — Potter Valley will return first — Willits undecided — Round Valley eager to start in-person — all districts fret COVID could nix any plan

FORT BRAGG, 11/14/20 — With the reduction of COVID restrictions to the “red tier” in Mendocino County, the question of when students will return to the classrooms is being answered differently in each of the county’s public school districts. And unsurprisingly, the issue is sparking strong emotions and dividing parents all over the county. Teachers who have spoken out have mostly given a failing grade to the idea coming back to the classroom during the holidays.

The Ukiah Unified School District and Fort Bragg Unified School District boards met for a combined nine and a half hours Thursday night (via Zoom and YouTube) mostly talking over plans to reopen schools with a hybrid (mixed online and in person) model before Christmas. More than 100 people watched each meeting online and two dozen people provided comments in both Ukiah and Fort Bragg.