LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustees and Clark County Education Association (CCEA) reached an agreement to bring Pre-K through third-grade students back to the classrooms starting March 1. This will be done with a hybrid learning model.

The following note was sent to parents districtwide Wednesday evening:

On January 14, 2021, the Clark County School District Board of Trustees approved a Memorandum of Agreement between the District and the Clark County Education Association to transition students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3 into the hybrid instructional model. The implementation of the hybrid instructional model for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3 will begin on Monday, March 1, 2021, for students.

Throughout the second semester, the District will work to transition additional grade levels to the hybrid instructional model; however, there is currently no timeline for this transition.

As the safety and health of our students and staff is a priority, the District will implement the safety and health protocols in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Southern Nevada Health District

Clark County School District

John Vellardita, the executive director of CCEA, hinted at this coming decision earlier Wednesday.

Parents of Pre-K through third-grade students will need to complete a hybrid cohort questionnaire to help with the district’s planning. The deadline to complete the survey is 6 p.m. on Jan. 29.

To access the survey, click here.

CCSD also sent a memo to teachers a short time ago that will put some of them back in schools as early as Feb. 22. This will allow educators time to prepare for the return of students.

These dates come after a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study recommends students return to buildings with certain precautions. The institute gave some guidance and clarity about a contentious topic.

“I feel that they do need to get back into regular school, but I just don’t think this year is the year,” said Jamie Johnson, mother of three CCSD students.

She’s not ready to send her children back into buildings, despite the recent CDC research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“We’ve been this far already,” said Johnson, “we might as well finish out the year.”

CDC scientists support school campuses reopening, but only with proper prevention. That includes social distancing, wearing a mask, better ventilation indoors and adopting the hybrid model to prevent overcrowding.

“We’ve been told to trust the science, and I’m one to believe with that,” said Kenny Belknap, a social studies teacher at Del Sol Academy.

But some educators like Belknap still want the COVID-19 vaccine before stepping in a building.

“As of right now, I still have some precautions,” he said. “I would like to at least get the first shot to feel a little bit better about it.”

CDC scientists looked at data from schools in the U.S. and internationally that reopened for in-person learning. The study says while school-related COVID-19 cases have been reported, there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.

The CDC recommends distance education still be an option for anyone considered high-risk. Scientists also say reopening buildings requires controlling the spread of the virus in communities, like restrictions on indoor dining.