ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
NOVEMBER 1, 2020
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A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Members of the AUSD Community,
Thank you if you submitted the second semester program choice survey by this past Friday, October 30. By the end of the day, not all surveys were returned. If you haven't submitted your program choice yet, please do. Principals and counselors are now beginning the process of scheduling students for the second semester, which begins remotely for all students on January 4, 2021. On January 19, 2021, we are committed to reopen for in-person instruction for students and staff who choose the hybrid program, dependent upon Riverside County's COVID-19 status at that point in time.
To reopen our schools, Riverside County must first return to the Red Tier. According to County health officials, to get to the Red Tier and not move backwards again, residents should wear face covering outside the home, keep six feet of distance from others, frequently wash their hands, and get tested. Getting tested is a critical step to early intervention that slows the spread. There are twelve testing sites spread throughout Riverside County, both walk-in and drive-up services. Find county and state-run locations and make an appointment here. Find a list of other state-run COVID-19 test sites here. If we're vigilant and follow best prevention practices, we can reopen our schools sooner rather than later.
If there are second semester schedule changes, they will be the result of students switching from virtual to hybrid or vice versa. Principals and counselors will work closely with students, staff and families on a case-by-case and school-by-school basis to ensure that students in specialty programs such as Dual Language Immersion (DLI), Special Education (SPED), English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELD), International Baccalaureate (IB), California Partnership Academy (CPA), Career Technical Education (CTE), and other academies and guided college and career pathway programs are able to complete or continue their program regardless of whether they choose virtual or hybrid. Students and families should not have to risk their personal health and should choose virtual or hybrid based on safety first. We will do everything in our power, given the resources we have at our disposal, to work together and keep everyone on track. The key is flexibility and communication.
I will report the final tally of program choice in my message next week. For the first semester, about 4,000 of our 18,000 students, almost equally distributed between elementary and secondary school, chose the virtual program. However, we recognize that living conditions or personal health conditions may have changed for some families or some staff members since July when families and staff chose virtual or hybrid for the first semester.
Alvord's students are among Riverside County's approximately 430,000 K-12 public school district students that are distance learning. No Riverside County public schools have reopened for in-person instruction. Across the state, over 3.6 million children are in schools in counties that are principally distance learning, including the state's two largest districts, Los Angeles Unified (Los Angeles County is in the Purple Tier) and San Diego Unified (San Diego County is in the Red Tier). About 1.7 million students are in “mixed” counties where school districts are offering instruction principally in the in-person hybrid model, following the state's reopening guidelines. Overall, of the fifty-eight counties in the state, nine are in the Purple Tier, while twenty-two are in the Red Tier, seventeen are in the Orange Tier, and the remaining ten reside in the least restrictive Yellow Tier.
Among California school districts that have reopened for in-person instruction, two school-related COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported to state health authorities. Schools with 5% of their total daily total population (students and staff) testing positive must close until local health authorities determine it is safe to reopen. The current COVID-19 surge across the country, particularly in the midwest and northeast, has led to more school closures and fewer reopenings.
Opening our schools for in-person instruction continues to be a priority for the Board of Education. Alvord schools are physically prepared to reopen when it's safe to do so. Our campuses have been prepared and outfitted with the appropriate safety measures and protective equipment, per state guidelines. Weighing the relative risk of transmission of the Covid-19 disease with learning loss, social isolation, and the overall impact of school closure on students and their families and the community has become the greatest challenge school boards and school leaders face during these unprecedented times.
Starting tomorrow, small cohorts of students with exceptional needs will return to some of our campuses for in-person instruction and targeted services, following the state's small cohort model (a stable group of no more than 14 children and no more than two supervising adults). Subsets of some of our student-athletes, following similar guidelines, continue to participate in conditioning activities in controlled, supervised, and small group environments during after school hours.
Easing students back onto campuses is likely going to be the model most commonly used by school districts in counties that continue to have high transmission rates. Even if a county remains in the most restrictive Purple Tier, waivers to open elementary schools for in-person instruction may be granted to school districts that have the support of their families and employee groups and can prove they meet all of the state's social distancing and other safety guidelines. That's why it's critical our families complete the second semester program survey and let us know their preference so we can plan ahead.
Stay healthy. Stay positive. Be well.
In partnership,
Allan Mucerino
Mrs. Carolyn Wilson, Board President
TRUSTEE AREA 5
Lake Hills K-5
Promenade K-5
Villegas 6-8
District Office
Ms. Lizeth Vega, Vice President
TRUSTEE AREA 2
Arlanza K-5
Terrace K-5
Norte Vista 9-12
Child Nutrition Services
Dr. Joanna Dorado, Clerk
TRUSTEE AREA 1
La Granada K-5
RMK K-5
Twinhill K-5
Valley View K-5
Loma Vista 6-8
Alternative Ed Center
Mrs. Julie Moreno, Trustee
TRUSTEE AREA 3
Collett K-5
Foothill K-5
Myra Linn K-5
Wells 6-8
La Sierra 9-12
Mr. Robert Schwandt, Trustee
TRUSTEE AREA 4
McAuliffe K-5
Orrenmaa K-5
Stokoe K-5
Arizona 6-8
Alvord High 11-12
Hillcrest 9-12
Dr. Allan Mucerino, Superintendent of Schools
Board Meetings Are Audio-Streamed
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Board meeting is a Special Meeting on Tuesday, October 13.
The Next three Regular Meetings of the Board of Education
- November 5, 2020
- November 19, 2020
- December 17, 2020
Find all agendas past and present here on Agenda On-Line
Board Meetings Are Conducted in Zoom
Click on the button above to find a testing facility near you closest and schedule your test.
Mr. Alejandro Cisneros
Child Care for Essential Workers
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Alvord Unified School District
Email: 2Superintendent@alvordschools.org
Website: https://www.alvordschools.org
Location: 9 Kpc Parkway, Corona, CA 92879, USA
Phone: 951) 509-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/alvordunified
Twitter: @AlvordUnified