Berkeley: May 13 Town Hall To Discuss Fall 2020 Planning

Press release from Berkeley Public Schools:

May 12, 2020

Dear Berkeley Community,

As I hope you’ve already heard, we are holding another Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 13 at 6:30 pm. Here is the Zoom link, in case you are able to join us.

At this Town Hall, as at all of our Board Meetings, I will be providing an update on our planning for the Fall of 2020, linked here.

On everyone’s mind is the question of what the fall of 2020 will look like. While there is a lot that we do not know, I do want to share that given the likelihood that we will not have a vaccine or herd immunity to COVID-19 in the next few months, school in the fall of 2020 will not look like the school in the fall of 2019.

As you probably know, Governor Newsom introduced a “roadmap” to modifying the State Stay-at-Home Order after a long period of closure, which included 6 indicators for readiness to reopen, including the the ability to test, contact trace, isolate, and support the exposed; the ability to protect those at high risk for COVID-19; ensure capacity for hospital and health systems, and develop therapeutics to meet the demand. Governor Newsom’s indicators for re-opening also include a component that affects our schools directly, which is the ability to support physical distancing on campus.

I want you to know that, as we plan for the Fall of 2020:

• We will keep student, staff and family well-being at the core of our planning;
• Plans will include both distance (at-home) learning and on-campus learning possibilities;
• Until the pandemic subsides, if our facilities are used, fewer students will be on campus at a time;
• We must keep equity at the center of decision-making;
• We need to build in flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances;
• Severe budget cuts are likely to be a reality that will affect our options.

I will continue to share updates as we progress with our planning. I appreciate your understanding and partnership as we continue to navigate this challenging environment and plan for the future.

Sincerely,

Brent Stephens
Superintendent

This press release was produced by Berkeley Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.