Dear SLUSD Community,

Earlier this week Governor Newsom announced that Alameda County has moved into the Purple Tier under the State of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy¹. Alameda is one of 41 California counties that have moved into this most-restrictive tier, which shows that we now face a new, troubling stage of this pandemic. 

Fortunately, as you remember from my message last week, SLUSD has already moved our anticipated timeline for phased reopening to mid-March, so this new development will not directly affect our current planning. We have put an enormous amount of energy into creating a plan that will allow us to safely reopen when we are able to do so. While that cannot happen as long as Alameda county is in the purple tier, there will come a time when conditions have sufficiently improved. We continue to complete the items on our Reopening Readiness Dashboard² so that we are ready when that time comes. 

I also shared that we are planning to offer targeted, in-person support for small cohorts of students in mid-January. This new development will not affect that planning, but in all transparency, that timeline could change as we move forward. We will continue to plan, prepare, and keep you well informed. Much depends on how well we work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

This brings me to our shared responsibility to one another to do our part to reverse this concerning trend. I’m sure you share our excitement at the prospect of our coming week off, with plans to celebrate this joyous time. I would like to share guidance³ from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the best way to celebrate the upcoming holiday safely. I hope that you will join me in honoring our commitment to our community by being safe and responsible during our break.

In honoring the traditions of this season, I must share how humbled I am to serve you all – especially now. Every time I prepare an update for you, I reflect on how fortunate I am to be working with the stellar employees in SLUSD, and the beautiful families of San Leandro. My family and I send love and gratitude, with a wish for peace and rejuvenation for you and everyone you hold dear. 

Dr. Mike McLaughlin

Superintendent

Reference Documents 

^1. State of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy

^2. SLUSD Reopening Readiness Dashboard

^3. CDC – Celebrating Thanksgiving