Dear Orange Unified Community:

After careful deliberation and out of an abundance of caution, the Orange Unified School District Board of Education voted today to dismiss students from attending school Monday, March 16, through Friday, March 27. This two-week break will be followed by Spring Break. At this time, it is expected students will return to campus on Monday, April 6.

Student dismissal is an extra measure of protection to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We do not have any presumptive or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools, but we are taking this step to help protect public health.

A dismissal indicates teachers and staff will still report for duty on campus, while students will not be on campus for any purpose. All schools and programs in Orange Unified are included in this decision: after school activities, preschool, grades TK-12, PreK-SCD, and infant/toddler and alternative education programs.

Schools are an essential service and crucial to our communities. We are fully aware of the disruptions school closure will cause and are exploring with our local, regional and state partners to see how we can best support our students and families during this difficult time. Plans are in place to continue the learning process online, and to provide meals for our students who rely on them. We are working on provisions for childcare options we can extend to families during this unplanned closure.

Students should stay home and minimize social contact as much as possible to keep caregivers and adult family members safe. Children have not been shown to be a high-risk group for serious illness from this virus. However, they can transmit the virus to those most vulnerable. Public health officials recommend that families make arrangements for childcare during closure that avoids leaving children with elderly people who are more vulnerable to the impact of the virus.

We will be sharing more detailed information as soon as possible about how families can support student learning during our school closures. Please log in to the Parent Portal and make sure your contact information is up to date.

Additional information and updates from OUSD are available on our COVID-19 web page at orangeusd.org/covid-19.

Thank all of you for your continued efforts to stay informed and take all appropriate steps to stay well.

Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Orange Unified School District