Plumas Charter plans for the school year in wake of Dixie Fire
By Debra Moore
Plumas Charter School students were scheduled to return to class on Aug. 23, but that’s probably not going to happen.
Taletha Washburn, the school’s director, said she and staff will meet this week to chart a path forward. There are certainly challenges as the students in both the Greenville and Chester schools are evacuated, and in Greenville, there is an additional issue.
“I have not talked about this yet, but the Greenville Learning Center is a total loss,” she said. The Greenville location served about 50 students from kindergarten through sixth grade.
Indian Valley Academy, which served 60 middle school and high school students, is still standing in Taylorsville.
But where are the students?
Washburn and her staff attempted to contact all of the students and have determined that they are spread out everywhere – Chico, the Bay Area, Oregon to name a few locations —and there are some in Quincy, but not as many as school officials originally suspected. Washburn said their first priority is to take care of the immediate needs of the students and their families by offering help in any way that the school can.
As for the upcoming school year, there are so many unknowns at this time. Washburn said she and Plumas Unified School District Superintendent Terry Oestreich have been talking, and are scheduled to meet Thursday, the day after their respective school board meetings.
Washburn echoed what Oestreich said during an interview yesterday, it’s almost a given that the start to the school year will be delayed. “We want to align with the district decision,” Washburn said of the start date. Logistically it makes it easier for families and some shared resources such as the food program.
Currently, the two communities that are the most impacted are Chester and Greenville, where obviously school sites can’t open, but Washburn is considering opening the Quincy campuses to provide day activities for students, as well as meals. But even those decisions can’t be made until the fire situation evolves further. For example, the facilities would need to be inspected to ensure that the air is safe for the students to breathe.
In comparing the start of this school year to last school year — with the North Complex Fire and COVID concerns — Washburn described that as “a dress rehearsal” for this year. She added while the immediate decisions pertain to this school year, the full recovery process will take much longer.
More information about Plumas Charter Schools plans will be shared as it becomes available.
