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Dear Members of the AUSD Community,

Congratulations!!! We have come together as a community to slow the spread of COVID-19! Conditions have improved for the sixth consecutive week. While we still remain in the most restrictive Purple Tier and need to continue to COVID-test and strictly follow safety guidelines, we reached a milestone this past week. February 23, 2021 marked the fifth consecutive day the county's COVID-19 adjusted case rate was under 25 cases per 100,000 population.

In accordance with the CDPH school reopening framework, Riverside County school districts with a County-approved COVID-19 safety plan and reopening checklist may reopen elementary schools for in-person instruction, strictly following distancing guidelines and all safety protocols, while the county is in the Purple Tier. Schools opening while the case rate remains over 14 (it's currently 16.6), must test every person on campus once per week under the CDPH testing requirement. Once the case rate is under 14 (expected this coming week or shortly thereafter), or when a county enters the Red Tier, the testing requirement changes to once every other week. See all of the testing requirements below:

Under state guidelines, school districts have a three-week rolling window to open schools starting on the Tuesday the state reports the current COVID-19 data and county tier assignments. Districts that do not exercise the option to reopen within the three-week window are bound by the current restrictions that will be in effect at that point in time. That same reopening window is in effect once a county moves into the Red Tier, which is when middle schools and high schools are eligible to open (see the color-coded tier system and the current indicators below in the COVID-19 Update section).

Given the positive outlook and window of opportunity, the Board of Education will convene remotely this coming Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 5:00 pm to conduct a Special Meeting in Open Session via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the district’s COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) and reopening checklist, and announce a reopening schools timeline. While the county remains in the Purple Tier, only elementary schools are eligible to reopen. When the county transitions to the Red Tier, however, middle and high schools will be eligible to reopen too. In-person instruction for students and staff in the hybrid program utilizes our Cohort A/B model. Students attend school in-person two days per week, on their cohort days.

All members of our school community were sent a notification this past Friday announcing the Special Meeting. Find additional details on viewing the meeting or submitting public comment here. Thank you for your reopening school questions. I will address all of them this coming Wednesday at the Special Meeting and follow up with additional details in next week's Round-Up.

When Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on March 13, 2020, and schools closed up and down the state, he commented, "Closing schools has a massive, cascading effect for our kids and their families – especially those least equipped financially to deal with them." His assessment has proven to be correct. In Alvord and practically everywhere, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable children, in addition to other children who have been impacted by social isolation and the challenges of living and learning remotely. And it's not only our youngest children. As one of our high school students has recently written to me, "This year has been astronomically difficult not just for sustaining my grades but also sustaining my mental health and stability."

A series of reopening schools guidance documents and frameworks have been released by the state and other formal institutions, like the CDC, since schools closed. School districts used the guidance to create their reopening plans prior to the Fall, 2020. Our reopening schools Task Force, comprised of students, staff, parents, and community members, met regularly between June 5 and June 30 to inform our original plan. The Task Force presented their recommendations to the Board of Education during a Study Session on July 9. At that time, we were planning to open the school year on August 10. Of course that never happened. In Riverside County, no school districts were able to put their plans to work since the county never rose above the most restrictive Purple Tier long enough to be eligible to reopen.

An updated version of reopening school guidance has since been released, on January 14, 2021. The reopening framework, titled COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Instruction Framework & Public Health Guidance for K-12 Schools, updates the past guidance and consolidates content from a variety of other guidance documents. The current reopening plan, now uniform across the state using a common template, is known as the COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP). One difference between the original plans that school districts created, and the new CSP, is that county and state health officials must approve the CSP. Other differences include a COVID-19 testing requirement, as I explained above, mandatory face coverings for all K-12 students at all times (medical exceptions on case-by-case basis), and strict spacing and distancing requirements. We have exceeded the state's required safety standards and have worked closely with our labor partners to ensure safe learning and work environments. I will explain it in greater detail during our Special Meeting this coming Wednesday.

See our COVID-19 Safety Plan video, in English and Spanish, below.

SB 86 and AB 86 Update: The current senate and assembly bills related to reopening schools and providing resources to support the costly reopening requirements have still not been passed. An agreement on the bills could come as early as tonight or possibly this coming Tuesday, when it's currently scheduled for continued debate.

Progress Reports Available on Aeries March 5: Visit the Aeries Parent or Student Portal here.

Key Upcoming Dates. Find the entire 2020-21 calendar here.

Next Progress Reporting Period 2/22/21 - 4/9/21

State Testing Window 03/01/21 - 05/28/21

Spring Break is 03/29/21 - 04/02/21. No classes.

Last Quarter Reporting Period 4/12/21 - 5/28/21

Last Day of School is May 28

Summer School Reminder: Summer school is tentatively set for in-person instruction starting on June 7 (Two 3-week sessions). If you haven't completed your summer school survey yet please do so we can plan ahead. We plan to provide our summer programs in-person, as long as COVID rates continue to trend positively. But in the event that's still not possible, we will provide our programs virtually. Completing your survey allows us to plan ahead.

Update on the State's SBAC Testing: State testing including CAASPP (ELA and Math grades 3-8 and 11) and ELPAC (English Language Proficiency TK-12 for current English Language Learners only) will still occur in Spring 2021 regardless of whether students are learning from home or are back in classrooms. The testing will be given remotely to students that are still learning from home. Students taking the assessment remotely will be using a video secure browser that has already been installed on all district Chromebooks. Students using their own personal device for distance learning will need to download the video secure browser. The browser cannot record students, it is only designed for teachers to actively monitor students while taking the assessments. Web cams must be in working condition and turned on in order for students to take the assessments. Directions for the browser will be given to students/families. The State Board of Education has requested some modifications that have yet to be approved by the Department of Education, including a possible waiver for the CAST (Science test grades 5, 8, and 11). Testing schedules will vary by school site and will be taking place during the months of March-May 2021. Look for more information from your principal.

If you have any state testing related questions, you can reach out to your child's school staff or email Assessment Coordinator, Erin Askier here.

2021-22 School Calendar will be released March 5. I will include it in the March 7 Round-Up. I know many families are looking ahead to plan vacations with cautious optimism as we resume normal life again, soon.

In celebration of Music in the Schools Month, our Visual & Performing Arts team present Alvord Family Virtual Music Nights on March 1 (Hillcrest), March 2 (Norte Vista), and March 3 (La Sierra), from 6:30 to 7:30. Join us to learn about music education, meet each high school's music teachers, explore class and instrument options, and play fun, music games with your child. Find the Zoom link and more details below in the News section. Also, tune into our March 18th Regular Meeting of the Board of Education for a presentation on the impact of music in our schools.

Graduation 2021. The California Department of Education and Department of Public Health are expected to release guidance soon on graduation ceremonies. We have begun the planning process. As we did last year, we will gather input from students and their families to inform us as we plan the event. We will be bound by the restrictions of the color-coded tier. Hopefully by late May we will have transitioned to the least restrictive tier. The guidance will also apply to promotional events and other traditional year-end large gatherings.

On behalf of the Board of Education, we are excited to have this opportunity to bring our students and staff in the hybrid program safely back onto our campuses as soon as possible. We hope you will be able to tune into our Special Board Meeting this Wednesday.

Stay positive. Stay healthy. Be well.

Sincerely,

Allan Mucerino