The Burlingame School District (BSD), including Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS) was planning on returning to in-person learning with a hybrid learning program on Dec. 2. But with an increase of cases throughout the Bay Area, and the county returning to the purple tier, BIS has cancelled these plans and they will be continuing with online learning. While rises in cases are not directly linked to the reopening of schools, BSD decided they did not want to risk increasing the spread. BIS had planned to have one in-person day on Wednesday where they would hold community-based class sessions, with one two hour period in the morning and one two hour period in the afternoon. 

“I’m a little disappointed because I wanted to see everybody, but I think if it’s the safest thing to do then it’s probably best,” 7th grade student Mischa Fellner said.

Students have been disconnected from school during this time, and like Fellner, they were looking forward to seeing their friends at school again. Safety once again takes paramount however, and students return not so eagerly to their Zoom calls.

Though neither BIS nor Burlingame High School (BHS) will be returning to in-person learning soon as new regulations are implemented in San Mateo County, some BHS students are disappointed in the lack of a clear return plan for the 2020-2021 school year. 

“I mean it’s pretty annoying. At this point I have no idea what’s happening,” sophomore Charlie Vaksman said. 

BHS has not come out with a specific reopening plan though they have outlined 4 possible plans for reopening in the future. Reopening the high schools is a district-level decision that the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) Board has discussed at recent meetings. Only time will tell whether there are new plans for returning, but students at BHS and BIS will have to deal with online learning for the time being.