Carlsbad Unified School District: Updates To Parents And Staff - March 11, 2020

From the Carlsbad Unified School District:

March 11, 2020

Carlsbad Unified families and staff,

The health and safety of students is our top priority, and we want to thank our community for their patience and understanding as we work through a response to the challenges of COVID-19.

We are posting information related to the COVID-19 situation on our website at https://cusd-ca.schoolloop.com/covid-19.

Here are our most recent updates (as of March 11, 2020) regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation, based on information available at this time:

The possibility of school closures due to COVID-19
We understand that many parents and families are concerned about the potential spread of coronavirus in our schools and have asked at what point we would consider closing our school sites. Our charge under state law is to stay open as long as our schools remain safe for students and staff.

Public health officials (including the San Diego County Office of Education, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Department, and the California Department of Public Health) have assured us that school closures are unwarranted at this time and could create unintended consequences that would hurt their efforts to protect our community. We will let you know immediately if their guidance changes.

Online learning opportunities
We are currently working with teachers, utilizing our District’s online learning platforms, to be prepared to deliver online instruction in the case that a school closure becomes necessary. We will provide more information in the event this becomes necessary.

Increased health and wellness protocols
Following are some of the precautionary steps the district is taking to mitigate the impact of illness on our campuses:

1. We have enhanced the routine cleaning of school sites and offices, and we have increased the use of our sanitizer product in all schools, especially on frequently touched surfaces.
2. We have shared short videos that demonstrate proper handwashing techniques with our classrooms and posted flyers at sites with information about proper hand washing and hygiene techniques.
3. We have identified a site at each school where students who are symptomatic will be separated from the rest of the student population to await pickup by their parents.
4. We are tracking instances of illness in students and staff.

Field trips and other student travel
We are currently reviewing all trips, including overnight and/or out-of-state travel, and will notify students and families as soon as possible if the decision is made to cancel any trips.

Mass gatherings
“Mass gatherings” are defined by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) as a gathering of 100 or more people. At the current time, CDPH does not recommend cancelation of mass gatherings or other community events. We are monitoring CDPH and local health officials’ briefings daily and will let you know immediately if anything changes.

Once again, we want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to monitor this very challenging situation. Thank you for your partnership and support. We will continue to provide updates at regular intervals.

This press release was produced by the Carlsbad Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.