Last week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) published its guidance for K-12 schools for this coming school year. Find the guidance here. When our schools open on August 4th, we will follow the same safety strategies we followed when the school year ended on May 26. Our strategies to keep everyone healthy will revolve around keeping our indoor spaces well ventilated, routinely disinfecting all indoor spaces and all high touchpoint surfaces, teaching and reinforcing hand-washing and cough and sneeze etiquette, and using antigen tests to manage students and adults diagnosed with COVID or exposed to COVID. Our COVID Call Center will remain open to assist schools and families.

Regarding face covering, children and adults at high risk for severe illness should talk to their healthcare provider about whether it is necessary to wear a mask and take other precautions. For children and adults not at high risk for severe illness, wearing a mask is a personal choice, but is recommended in indoor settings in communities with a COVID-19 Community Level of High.

Over the course of the last month, COVID cases have risen dramatically in Riverside County and practically everywhere in California. The COVID Community Level in Riverside County has risen from Low to Medium and is steadily approaching High (see the chart below). Learn about the CDC Community Levels here.

If you need assistance registering for school or confirming your data in Aeries, in-person support is available Monday - Friday from 9 am to 3 pm at the Keller Center, Building C. Located at 10365 Keller Avenue Riverside, CA 92505. Or call, 951 509 5014.

On behalf of the Board of Education, enjoy the long days of summer and begin preparing for the school year. Principals return tomorrow, July 11. You can expect to hear from your principal in the coming weeks with important 2022-23 information. Activate your Parent Square account today. Find instructions here.

Stay healthy. Be well.

In partnership,

Allan Mucerino

Data for the week ending Friday, July 8: No data. Schools closed.

Reported a Positive Test:

Contact Tracing:

When the 2022-23 school year begins on August 4, we will begin tracking positive COVID cases again. During the 2021-22 school year, a total of 3,476 students and 470 staff members reported a positive test for COVID-19. Find weekly updates on COVID-19 Data Dashboard here. Cases recorded on the Dashboard are confirmed by Riverside County Public Health officials and remain on the Dashboard for 14 days.

During the week ending July 8, in Riverside County, there were 1,984 new cases (0.3% increase), equating to 37.4 cases per 100K (7-day average), 1 new death (0.02% increase), and a 21.5% test positivity (7-day rate), which is a 2.9% increase from 7-days prior. Since many people are now testing at home with antigen rapid tests, the positivity rate is estimated to be much higher since all cases are not reported. There are currently 190 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 24 more patients hospitalized from the prior day's total (14.5% increase).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Community Level COVID-19 rating system, the community level in Riverside County remains at Medium for the fourth consecutive week. Learn what a Medium Level means here.

The Community Levels are a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

This data is as of July 8, 2022, as reported on the State's tracking web site.