Watch CBS News

Fresno-Area Private School Holds In-Person Classes For 2nd Day, Defying Orders

REEDLEY, Fresno County (CBS / AP) — Students at a private school in Central California attended their second day of in-person classes Friday despite state and county orders to close the school.

Immanuel Schools in Reedley was ordered to close Thursday after it reopened classrooms in violation of a state health order aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Fresno County also issued a health order against the school, ordering it to close its classrooms until the county is removed from a state monitoring list for two weeks.

But news reports said students gathered in groups at the school for the first two days of the new school year without practicing social distancing or wearing masks.

Immanuel School in Reedley
In this photo from Fresno CBS affiliate KGPE, a student arrives at Immanuel Schools in Reedly, which opened for in-person learning in defiance of local and state health orders. (KGPE)

One parent told the Fresno Bee that it was the parents' right to send their students to class.

Violating the order could lead to fines of up to $1,000 per violation per day.

The order askes the county sheriff and local police chiefs to enforce the order.

The private Christian school, located in the Central Valley, has about 600 students in classes from kindergarten through high school. All are taught on a single campus.

"Immanuel Schools and all Fresno County Schools have an obligation to protect the health and safety of all students and faculty," David Pomaville, the county's public health director, said in a statement. "We will continue to work with our schools to provide guidance and help ensure that any re-opening is done in accordance with best practices."

The order also is designed to "address the strain upon the health care system" from COVID-19, the statement said.

Messages seeking comment from the school weren't immediately returned.

However, the school's Board of Trustees and Superintendent Ryan Wood issued a statement that said they believe "our mission is best achieved through in-person education."

"Preventing schools from teaching students on campus is detrimental to students' academic, physical, emotional, and spiritual development, while also imposing a burden to working families," the statement said, adding that the school intends to sue over health orders barring classroom instruction.

Fresno is one of nearly 40 counties, including all Bay Area counties, that are on a state monitoring list because of rising COVID-19 infection rates. The county was added to the list on June 8. On Thursday, it reported nearly 350 new cases, for a total of nearly 18,700, with 191 deaths.

Schools within those counties cannot reopen for classes or seek waivers to reopen until certain statistics show infection rates are slowing. Most school districts have started or will start their new academic years with online instruction.

© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.