OC's Newport-Mesa Unified School District board votes to delay in-person learning

COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- Orange County's Newport-Mesa Unified School District board on Thursday voted to delay in-person learning for middle and high school students until after the current semester.

The decision comes after protests and a letter sent by a group of teachers sent to families last week claiming that preparations for in-person learning were inadequate.

"While we had every intention to reopen our doors for students in a hybrid-learning model and schools were making final preparations to implement health and safety measures, some significant challenges recently surfaced regarding the implementation of the hybrid model at secondary schools," Annette Franco, a spokeswoman for the district, said in an email to ABC7.

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Before the school board vote, middle and high schools in the district had been scheduled to start a mix of distance and in-person learning on Monday.

Lower grades in Newport Mesa Unified started hybrid learning last week.