DSUSD students start in-person learning Monday For the first time in a year, some Desert Sands Unified students in Pre-K through 5th grade will be back in the classroom Monday. DSUSD was the first valley district to get its Covid-19 safety plans approved by the county and state. "To prepare bringing students back, it has been a logistical endeavor," said Kirsten Knapp, principal at Benjamin Franklin Elementary in La Quinta. She says keeping students safe during a pandemic has taken a fresh perspective on "back to school." "Thinking of how students are arriving, how are they dismissing, how are they transitioning, movement within the classroom," Knapp said. "We have to think of all of those things to keep them safe and what precautions we can put in place."