Returning To School: A Milestone Reached, Together

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Welcome back to school! I am so excited to see that students and staff will be at our campuses again full-time, starting on Wednesday, July 21. I know the past year and a half has been tough on all of us. Thankfully, we continue to reach new milestones in combatting COVID-19. A full return to school is the greatest sign yet of a return to normalcy. Safely returning to in-person instruction in the new school year is a priority to local, state and federal officials alike. Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic, and San Diego County continues to be a leader in the state in regards to vaccination rates.

In addition, please know that each of our schools has gone to great measures to keep students and staff safe. Our campuses and operating procedures will not look the same as pre-pandemic. Schools have upgraded ventilation systems and/or added purifiers to each classroom; received hand sanitizer and other safety supplies, and adapted to continuously evolving safety guidance. We are confident schools are the best and safest places for students to learn and succeed.

Procedures continue to evolve. Just last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance to stress the full reopening of schools and recommended masks only be worn by the unvaccinated. Our state is taking a safer, cautious approach. As of this writing, masks are still required when indoors in K-12 schools, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). While students are on campus, masking indoors is required for everyone—including for vaccinated individuals. Once ALL students are off campus, fully vaccinated people are not required to mask indoors, according to CDPH.

Students will be able to remove their masks outdoors. Our schools will make every effort to serve meals outdoors. Where cafeterias or group dining rooms must be used, our schools will work to keep students together in their stable groups, and practice physical distancing as much as possible. Additionally, our schools will practice and emphasize hand hygiene before and after eating.

As an elementary school district, we note that nearly all of our schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, we follow guidance that emphasizes implementing multi-layered prevention strategies (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, staff, and other members of their households. We have stressed multiple prevention strategies throughout the pandemic.

You may have additional questions about school procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when we resume classes. I invite you to tune in to our Virtual Town Hall meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 15 to hear updates about the new school year. Click here at 6 p.m. on that date to access the meeting.

As a reminder, CDC’s guidance is not binding for California schools, which must abide by requirements from state and county public health. State officials have indicated that they will review and align state guidance with the CDC’s. We will alert you when the California guidance is issued.

Again, we look forward to welcoming students and their families back to school on July 21.

Sincerely,

Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.
Superintendent