After Labor Day weekend, school districts in Orange County may have the green light to open up classrooms once again and allow students to return to in-person instruction during a global pandemic.

Over the summer, districts built plans on how to best reopen schools come fall, after a semester that forced teachers and students into virtual classrooms with just days of preparation and few resources.

But all plans had to be put on hold while Orange County sat on the state’s coronavirus watchlist. Under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order, counties on the list could only reopen elementary schools with waivers from the state, and middle and high schools could not open at all. 

The county’s case rates fell below the required 100 cases per 100,000 residents on Aug. 23, starting a 14 day countdown on returning to school options opening up. 

Then last Friday, Newsom updated guidelines on reopening, placing Orange County in the most severe rank that would stop schools from resuming in-person without a state-approved waiver. 

After a series of tweets over the weekend from the county health care agency that left many confused over when schools could reopen, late Monday evening it announced that OC schools could reopen on Sept. 22 with the state’s blessing.