Table of Contents
Fresno County will go to court to close Immanuel Schools in Reedley if the school does not heed state orders, the county’s top health official said Friday afternoon.
The private K-12 school opened for the school year Thursday despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order that schools in counties that remain on the state watch list due to the coronavirus pandemic (including Fresno) not reopen their campuses for instruction.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health ordered the Mennonite-faith school to close, but children filed on to the campus Friday despite the order.
“Our next steps are to actually have the Superior Court consider a restraining order and injunction,” county Director of Public Health David Pomaville said during a regular media briefing Friday afternoon. “That will take the county a few days to put together.”
Health department officials have spoken to Immanuel administrators, Pomaville said. “They were made aware of where the county was at and what steps would likely be taken prior to the action occurring.”
Immanuel isn’t the only school in the region defying orders. Outside Creek Elementary School near Visalia welcomed students on campus. It is unclear if Tulare County has ordered the school to shut down, but the health department is aware the school is operating with on-campus students.
Waivers for 2 schools?
Although K-12 schools in Fresno, Kings, Tulare, Merced and Madera counties are barred from opening campuses, there are waivers available for elementary schools that can prove opening would not be a health concern.
Fresno and Tulare health officials said they wouldn’t grant waiver requests, but Friday afternoon Pomaville said two schools in Fresno County are under consideration. Pomaville said Hume Lake Charter School and Big Creek Elementary School might get waivers because the schools are small and in rural areas.
“We’re going to be talking with the State Department of Public Health and the Department of Education over the next week, to try and see if there’s accommodations that can be made to allow some type of in-classroom or maybe outside learning for those two school districts,” he said.
Health officers said they understand the importance of getting children back to school to stay healthy, but they cannot support schools opening despite being on the state watchlist.
“We are very concerned about getting our children back in classroom instruction,” Pomaville said. “We know that that is very important for their overall health and well being.”