Important Updates from TTUSD
August 25, 2021
TTUSD's new air quality guidelines for school
Dear TTUSD Parents & Community Members,
School starts in six days and we can’t wait! As we continue to navigate COVID, and now address the extreme smoke in the area, our goal is to keep students safely in school as much as possible. We know that in-person instruction works best for most kids and we want to maximize our instructional opportunities.
We will be using the following guidelines to determine when schools will remain open or close and when sporting events and practices are canceled due to unhealthy air quality levels.
If the Air Quality Index (AQI) is under 300 or forecasted to be under 300 during school hours, for our entire school district, school will be open.
If the AQI is between 300-399, TTUSD may call a “Smoke Day” based on the air quality outside and inside of our buildings.
If the AQI is 400 and above, anywhere in our school district, TTUSD will call a “Smoke Day” and no school will be held. Note: if the AQI is over 400 on one side of the district, it will be a smoke day district-wide.
All outdoor competitive sporting events will be canceled when the AQI is 151 and above. Outdoor sports practices will move indoors if space is available when the AQI is above 101 per guidance from NIAA and CIF. Indoor sporting events and practices may continue when the AQI is below 300 outdoors. Ventilation varies among our campuses and principals will make specific decisions on indoor sports/practices for their school sites and athletes and parents will be notified by their coaches based on direction from principals.
TTUSD’s Air Quality Matrix as of August 31, 2021.
What special considerations are we evaluating?
We use the AirNow.gov website and the app AirVisual/ IQAir to monitor the AQI each day. We are also taking into consideration a variety of factors:
The air quality conditions in our schools vs. what they may be in the homes of our students.
The air quality in our modulars classrooms.
The fact that the AQI levels can be significantly different across our district
Juggling wildfire smoke outside and the risk of the coronavirus inside
What our neighboring school districts are doing
Please note: The decision to close schools due to poor air quality will not take place if the school day is in progress; however, students will be kept indoors, as needed. The decision to close schools for a “Smoke Day” will be made prior to the start of the school day for the entire district and we will use our snow day procedures with an announcement to parents at 6:00 a.m.
Unfortunately, due to California's Education Code, TTUSD cannot use Distance Learning or Online Learning platforms if in-person instruction is temporarily unavailable due to poor air quality. Any missed instruction days must be made up at a later date per the California Department of Education.
Stay safe, and we’ll see you on August 31!
Carmen Ghysels
Superintendent Chief Learning Officer