Important Updates from EUSD
September 18, 2020
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we move into this new phase on Monday! The months of planning and preparation by our dedicated staff will be realized as students enter the school gates next week for the first time in six months. We are beyond excited to welcome them!
Monday will represent some new beginnings for many! As you know we asked families to choose the best option for their students: the in-person hybrid model or the full distance learning program. We knew providing these two options were important to allow families to make the best choice for their individual family needs. This means we have some new classes at Cloud Campus and some adjustments to cohorts at sites starting on Monday. Once again, I am confident our staff, students and families will come together to support one another in these new configurations.
Attendance in Hybrid
I have heard many questions about attendance in hybrid that I wanted to answer here. We have heard of parents only wanting to participate in learning on at home days. Unfortunately, this is not allowable. A full distance learning program is only available via the Cloud Campus and that option has been provided. The heart of our hybrid model is the importance of in person learning as the two and half days of at home learning are dependent on the two in person days. There will not be additional instruction provided on the virtual days, beyond a once a day whole class Zoom. As such, in order to participate in the Hybrid model, your child will need to attend in person two days a week in addition to the at home days. Attendance will be taken both for in person instruction and for at home learning as required by our state reporting system.
Potential Change in Tiers for San Diego County
I know there have also been questions about how the possible change in tiers will impact our next phase of re-opening. At this time, there are no changes to our re-opening schedule of opening for in person learning on Monday, September 21st. As you are aware, we began bringing individual and small groups of students in our specialized programs earlier this month as the first phase of our gradual plan for in person instruction. The next phase begins with our hybrid schedule on Monday. A change in tier would not require any change to our plans. Of course, we do want to consider all county data in our plans, but the specific shifts in our county are extremely localized. Per our County Health Director Dr. Wilma Wooten, the current data is directly related to the outbreak at San Diego State University (SDSU). Without the SDSU outbreak, the county rate would have been a 6.0 per 100,000 which is less than last week. And of course, that number would not have put the County into consideration for the possibility of moving into the purple tier.
The California Department of Public Health does recommend districts with in-person learning consider surveillance testing of staff. All EUSD staff were required to be tested prior to our return on Monday. We will continue a regular cycle of surveillance testing as suggested by the California Department of Public Health Guidelines for school opening for in-person instruction.
We receive regular updates for the per 100,000 case rate by zip code as school district superintendents. Encinitas/Carlsbad rates this week have been 3.28/4.3 respectively, which is of course below the threshold for purple tier levels as well. Please know we continue to review all necessary data and are in regular contact with Public Health and our County Office of Education to ensure the safest reopening possible. I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Wilma Wooten, Director of Public Health, today and she confirmed our plans for opening the next phase of in-person learning with our hybrid model on Monday. It was also positive to hear from other local districts that have already opened including Del Mar Union, Cardiff and Rancho Santa Fe that the procedures and protocols are working as planned and students are ecstatic to be back on campus. Solana Beach Union is also opening hybrid on Monday, as well.
UCSD Medical Presentation
Thank you to all of our staff and families that attended the session by Dr. Michele Ritter on Wednesday, September 16th. I know the feedback has been extremely positive and people appreciated hearing from an infectious disease expert that is also the mother of three elementary age children that are back at school with in person learning. Please see the section below to view the detailed slides from the presentation.
Important information regarding Facial Coverings
As a reminder, all students preschool through sixth grade students must wear masks. Dr. Ritter shared the importance of the type of masks that should be worn. Please view this link with more information from the Center Disease Control and
- Wear masks with two or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19.
- Wear the mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
- CDC does not recommend the use of gaiters.
- Masks should not have vents or valves.
Health & Safety Agreement
In addition, please review the Health & Safety Agreement for In Person Instruction (linked below) which outlines important information about expectations for returning students to campus, including the need for at-home symptom screenings, the use of face masks for all students and links to each site’s COVID-19 Prevention Plan. Please print (or obtain a copy from your child’s site), sign and return one form for your family as soon as possible. We need all families to do their part to support the safest return possible for our students.
Warmly,
Andrée Grey, Ed.D.
Superintendent
REMINDER: Symptom Checks for Students At Home, Starting on Monday/Tuesday
Starting on Monday, September 21, parents/guardians will screen their child(ren) for COVID-19 before taking them to school each day.
Specifically, parents/guardians screen their child(ren) for any of the following symptoms associated with COVID-19: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. If the child(ren) has any of these symptoms, parent/guardian will not send the child(ren) to school and will notify the school of the absence and any symptoms experienced.
Additionally, parent/guardian will take the temperature of the child(ren) using an operable
thermometer. If the child(ren) has a temperature of 100.0 °F or above, the parent/guardian will not send the child(ren) to school and notify the school of the absence. A child will not be sent to school if medication for the purpose of reducing a fever has been administered within the last 24 hours.
Additionally, in the event the child(ren) has been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for
COVID-19 in the previous two weeks, parent/guardian will not send the child(ren) to school and will notify the school that the student has been kept home for this reason. The child(ren) will not be able to return to school until permitted by the School in compliance with direction from the San Diego Health & Human Services Agency and the San Diego Public Health Order.
REMINDER: Health & Safety Agreement - For Review & Signature
Please print (or obtain a copy from your child/ren)’s site), sign and return one form for your family as soon as possible but no later than their first day of in person learning.
UCSD Medical Expert Presentation on COVID-19
Detailed slides from Dr. Ritter's presentation are available at this link.
School Reopening Plan for 2020-21
Employment Opportunities for Parents/Guardians and Members of Our Community
The Encinitas Union School District has employment opportunities for parents/guardians who want to work part-time and/or want to be on the same schedule as their children. Many of our current employees started as volunteers and then applied for paid positions in the district. These employment opportunities are also great for retirees who want to stay active within their community. Pass along this information if you know someone that would be a great fit for our district!
For further information, please contact Jane McGuigan at jane.mcguigan@eusd.net or at
760-944-4300 ext. 1182.
These are some employment opportunities that are available. The positions range from 1.75 hours a day to 6.0 hours a day during the school year.
1. Noon Supervisors - Range 4.5 starting at $14.24 per hour
2. Safety Monitors - Range 5.5 starting at $15.00 per hour
3. Instructional Assistants Specialized Care (Special Education) - Range 8 starting at $17.04 per hour
4. ASPIRE (Before and After School Child Care) - Range 6 starting at $15.40 per hour
5. Health Technicians - Range 10 starting at $18.88 per hour for Non-LVN; Range 12 starting at $20.88 per hour for LVN
Encinitas Union School District
Website: www.eusd.net
Location: 101 South Rancho Santa Fe Road, Encinitas, CA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EncinitasUSD/