Anaheim middle and high schools will start fall with distance learning

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- Middle and high school students in Anaheim will start with distance learning in the fall.

The Anaheim Union High School District's Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday in favor of the district's recommendation for all-virtual teaching.

The district says students will have a synchronous schedule Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

There will be 40-minute periods for high school students and 35 minute-periods for middle school students, with 15 minute breaks between each. There will also be hour-long lunches allowing time for students needing to pick up grab-and-go meals.

RELATED: Academic, mental and physical benefits of in-person school outweigh virus risks, pediatrics group says

As states grapple with how to safely start the upcoming school year, the American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing for students to be physically present in classrooms rather than continue in remote learning for the sake of their well-being.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students can do work on their own time.

The decision came after a presentation from a UC Irvine epidemiologist. UCI researchers predict if COVID-19 continues spreading at current rates, at the start of August, Orange County will have hundreds of thousands of infectious individuals.

Using an example of a 100,000 people, or 3% of the county's population, if schools reopen for in-person teaching on Aug. 12, 900 AUHSD students and 36 teachers will have and could spread the virus.

Researchers say that is a conservative estimate because the model is based on the numbers for the overall county.

With three zip codes among the county's top eight virus hot spots, Anaheim's reality will likely be worse.

The Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association supports the all-virtual teaching model.