Dear SLUSD Community,
We would like to update you on the status of reopening our school facilities for the 2020-21 school year, including:
- Reopening Survey for Families – July Update
- Labor Union Bargaining Progress
- Current Alameda County Public Health and State Guidance
- Summer Safety Preparations
| REOPENING SURVEY FOR FAMILIES – JULY UPDATE As we get closer to sharing our plans for reopening schools – and how we plan to phase in those plans – we need to gather updated data on your current preference for how your child will participate in learning this fall. We know this is a challenging decision for our families with the rapidly evolving guidance and information regarding COVID-19. Your feedback will help us make better plans for our schools at all grade levels. Please submit a survey for your household by Monday, July 14 at 3 pm. Reopening Survey for Families – July Update |
| LABOR UNION BARGAINING PROGRESS For the past few weeks, we have been preparing for the bargaining process with our labor unions. Thanks to the thoughtful collaboration with our Reopening Schools Task Force and grade-level workgroups over the past months, the district bargaining team has presented highly detailed plans for instructional delivery in a 100% distance model, and a blended, 50% in-person model with the intention of being able to move fluidly between the two as needed to keep our community safe. It is very clear that a phased approach to reopening will be necessary and the models presented to enable us to do this. Due to the detailed nature of these aforementioned plans, on Wednesday our teachers’ union asked for an extension to fully vet the impacts to their members. We are scheduled to return to the bargaining table today and next Tuesday. We will provide more details about our instructional models for next year with another Reopening Schools Update on Wednesday, July 15. This update will also include our initial plans for a phased reopening. |
| ALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDANCE FOR REOPENING SCHOOLS The Alameda County Office of Education in collaboration with the Alameda County Department of Public Health (ACPHD) recently released new guidelines to help us reopen our schools safely. The guidance states, “It is our firm belief, based on evidence about the impact of COVID-19 in children and adolescents, that our children are best served by a return to some level of in-person instruction at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year that balances optimal learning and student well-being with measures that address the safety of our school communities.” This guidance is currently the most relevant planning document available to schools in Alameda County since it is based on the current critical indicators our local public health department is monitoring. The guidance is clear that Alameda County schools can and should plan for a return to in-person instruction as soon as it is safe. The recently approved California State Budget has also established clear state requirements for schools to “offer in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible” with Assembly Bill (AB77). This means that our education funding is dependent on our ability to offer students the opportunity to learn in-person from their teachers. We are also preparing to offer a 100% distance learning option for any families who do not want to send their children back to school in-person. We will share more details about how to select that option very shortly. |
| SUMMER SAFETY PREPARATIONS Our Maintenance and Operations team plays a crucial role in helping us reopen schools safely. Using state and federal standards, we have ordered the significant quantities of cleaning supplies needed to keep our schools sanitized and safe. Our first shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) has arrived from the California Office of Emergency Services, which is a key step in reopening our schools. This shipment includes:Cloth & Disposable Masks for Staff and StudentsFace Shields for Teachers156 gallons of Hand Sanitizer As our schools receive their deep summer cleaning, we would like to take this time to thank our custodial staff for their dedication to the safety of our students and staff. |
We will share further updates with you on July 15. Thank you in advance for completing the survey and we hope you are enjoying time with your loved ones.
SLUSD Communications
