Alameda Co. gives OK for schools to open, but most say they're not ready in midst of pandemic

ALAMEDA COUNTY Calif. (KGO) -- Wednesday Alameda County announced that middle and high schools can reopen for in-person learning on Nov. 9, if they have a plan.

The county did the same for elementary schools in mid-October.

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"I definitely would want to know what safety matters they're going to take before kids even touch the campus!" exclaimed Stacey Magnane, who has two kids in the Fremont Unified School District.

She says her daughter Carolyn is eager to get back, but knowing how she is going to be kept safe is now the priority.

It's feeling shared by parents and teachers across Alameda County.

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"We have 12 schools and some of our elementary schools have a thousand students, so even if you do 50 percent, you still have a large number of students moving around," says Robbie Kreitz, who is the teacher's association president in the Dublin Unified School District.

And while middle and high schools may be quiet now, there's an even bigger concern about space in those locations.

"Their hallways are jammed packed and I don't really see how, even if it's a modified amount of students, how they can keep them six feet apart, not crowded clustered and stuff," says Magnane.

Alameda County says that so far one public school, one charter, and 56 private schools have either reopened or announced they will reopen soon.

Public school districts in Oakland and Dublin say school for the younger elementary school kids will start first not until January at the earliest.

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