Judge to Decide Immanuel Schools’ Fate. Brandau Opposes Closure

Fresno County public health officials want Immanuel Schools of Reedley to stop in-person instruction. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)

The county is seeking legal action to prevent a private Reedley school from staying open. One supervisor says that is the wrong move.

Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., Fresno County, through its public health department, will ask for a temporary restraining order to prevent Immanuel Schools from in-person teaching.

“Immanuel High School in Reedley is also doing their best to serve their students, their parents, and their faculty. For this reason, I’m opposed to the lawsuit that Fresno County has filed against them last week,” Supervisor Steve Brandau said while meeting with the media in front of the Hall of Records.

Defying state and local health orders, the K-12 school opened for instruction on Aug. 13. It remained open as of Monday.

As of Saturday, Fresno County has reported 22,840 COVID cases, with more than 12,000 active. There have been 226 COVID-19 related deaths in the county since the beginning of the pandemic. The county reports 1,138 cases in Reedley.

Judge D. Tyler Tharpe will hear the county’s request to shut down in-person learning and activities at the school. He was appointed to the bench in 2006 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and was most recently elected for a six-year term last March.

Brandau: Open the Schools

https://gvwire.com/2020/08/24/judge-to-decide-immanuel-schools-fate-brandau-opposes-closure/

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