Large Berkeley Unified Schools District Events Cancelled – Schools Remain Open

From Berkeley Public Schools:

March 10, 2020

Dear Berkeley Community,

This afternoon we received new guidance from City of Berkeley Health Officer Dr. Lisa Hernandez, in keeping with guidance that was also issued by Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD). According to the City of Berkeley:

• At this time, we recommend postponing or canceling non-essential mass gatherings and large community events where large numbers of people are within arm’s length of one another.
• Non-essential means events or meetings that are not critical for operations of business or entity.
• They do not include typical office environments, stores, school, colleges, or universities.

Large BUSD Community Events Are Cancelled Through March

Unfortunately, this new guidance means we will have to cancel the much loved Black History Oratorical Fest (3/19) and the Performing Arts Showcase (3/22). Out of an abundance of caution, I’ve also asked that the following type of events scheduled to take place in March be canceled:

• School Assemblies
• Performances
• Evening Gatherings at Schools (including PTA gatherings, and open houses)

Field Trips and Most Athletic Events Will Continue At This Time

After review, the current list of planned field trips will be permitted to proceed. Generally these trips do not involve travel to large or dense gatherings in indoor facilities. Athletics are not canceled at this time, although some large sports events may fall into the public health guidance and will have to be canceled. Schools will communicate`athletic event cancellations to their school community.

All Berkeley Unified Schools Remain Open

The City of Berkeley is not recommending closing any schools at this time. According to Dr. Hernandez:

“The reason we are not recommending school closures at this time is because there are no lab-confirmed cases of community spread in Berkeley and children have not been shown to be a high-risk group for serious illness from this virus. As much as possible, children should be allowed to carry on with their education activities.”

This “Social Distancing” strategy is intended to limit community spread and protect vulnerable populations Again, quoting the CIty of Berkeley Public Health guidance:

“While the vast majority of COVID-19 patients do not become seriously ill, and fully recover, these recommendations are being issued to slow the spread, and further protect the most vulnerable. Some children have underlying health conditions, such as weakened immune systems, that put them at higher risk. Caregivers of children with underlying health conditions should consult with healthcare providers about whether their children should stay home.”

Will BUSD Close Schools?

If at some point a student, teacher or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, and exposed others at the school, there would be the possibility of school closure. As you can imagine, school closure, especially if it were district-wide, is a major step. Some of the considerations and repercussions of school closures are discussed in these articles:

• We Don’t Need to Close Schools to Fight the Coronavirus (NY Times)
• What Difference Will Closing Schools Make (Forbes)
• Simulating School Closure Strategies to Mitigate an Influenza Epidemic (NIH)
• Unintended Social & Economic Consequences of School Closure (NIH)
• School Closure Considerations – (CA Dept of Education)

What Happens If We Have to Close Schools?

We are working on plans to address the possibility of closing a school, or more than one school, and we will communicate further details later this week.

District Meetings Will Continue

At this time, I anticipate that Board meetings and committee meetings will continue to be held, and we will be exploring options for optional participation by teleconference. All School Board meetings may be viewed on Youtube. I’d like to invite you to watch starting at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, March 11 (or at your convenience another time as all meetings are saved online). We will provide an update on BUSD preparations in response to COVID-19, present a plan for community engagement related to the middle school student assignment policy, and review planned reductions and priorities for the General Fund budget.

The decision to cancel large gatherings was made as part of our collective effort to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community. We will continue to monitor the guidance of the City of Berkeley Health Officer and Alameda County regarding events and update the BUSD community if their guidance changes.

All of us at BUSD appreciate your patience and understanding as we confront this unprecedented situation.

Sincerely,
Brent Stephens, Ed.D
Superintendent

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