Dear Editor – CCUSD Weighs Re-Opening with Survey to Parents

[Yesterday, February 16, 2021,] the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that schools would be allowed to reopen campuses since the county has reached an adjusted case rate of less than 25 per 100,000 residents for five consecutive days.

“This encouraging news means that dozens of elementary schools will be permitted to reopen for in-class instruction for students grades TK-6 as early as this week,” the statement said. “All schools wishing to reopen must submit plans to the County Department of Public Health and the California Department of Public Health certifying that they have implemented a full range of safety measures to permit a safe reopening.”

CCUSD staff are taking steps to return staff and students to campus quickly and safely. Below are just some of the actions we are taking to prepare for reopening our TK-5 elementary school sites:

Currently: CCUSD is in the process of submitting several state and county documents for approval certifying that we have implemented a full range of safety measures to permit a safe reopening;

Thursday, February 18: CCUSD will send parents a Return to School survey, giving each family the opportunity to share their comfort level in having their children return to in-person learning. This will enable the district to determine the required staffing models to support both remote and hybrid (on-site) learning;

March: CCUSD staff and students, TK-5, begin to return to campus;

March/April: As students return to campus, we will be focused on supporting children in their social-emotional transition back to school, providing additional monitoring and resources to those who may have difficulty with the return to campus.

CCUSD continues to negotiate with our bargaining units regarding the impact of reopening. CCUSD is also working to return students in grades 6-12 to campus as LACDPH and state guidelines allow. While there is currently no timeline for their return, more detailed plans for our reopening will be forthcoming.

Leslie Lockhart

CCUSD Superintendent of Schools