As of December 1st, 2020, Bishop O’Dowd’s Administration has decided to postpone starting the hybrid learning plan. The Administration has decided to continue remote learning for the safety of all students, faculty, staff, and family. The hybrid plan will be looked into again and reevaluated at the end of February. As of now, the spring semester will remain online as it did during the fall.  

This postpone is due to the amount of Alameda County COVID cases rising dramatically. Alameda County is now in the purple tier regarding the tracking of the virus, prompting a new lockdown. While in the purple tier, there is a calculated average of 375 new cases each day. Oakland has the highest number of new cases. 

At the end of February, if the number of cases in Alameda county decrease dramatically then the school will revisit the hybrid plan. However, even with more time and a lower percentage of individuals having the virus, some students and teachers may not feel safe enough to return to campus. The decision to participate in the hybrid plan on campus is still up to any Bishop O’Dowd member. 

Nate Murphy, a freshman at O’Dowd, explained how he wants to have part of his first year on campus to meet other freshmen who attend Bishop O’Dowd and develop a better understanding of being in high school. However, he claims, “Even though I want this experience really bad, at this point it just is not worth it.” He continued by adding, “Who knows if I will even be able to interact with other kids with hybrid learning.” The stress of regulations and schoolwork is a lot for kids, and it is almost impossible to remain socially distanced from everyone 100% of the time.

Everyone must decide what is right for them and their families but amongst rising case numbers, the hybrid plan is on hold.