Novato Unified School District August 19, 2020 Message From Superintendent Cosca

Press release from the Novato Unified School District:

August 19, 2020

Carta en español

Dear NUSD Families,

I am writing to update you on our plans for the start of the school year. You have or will soon be receiving more site-specific information from your school principal. We know things have continued to change quickly through August and want to ensure that you have the most up to date information available.

In today’s letter, I will touch on the following topics:

• The soonest we anticipate returning students to hybrid learning
• The Memorandum of Understanding with the Novato Federation of Teachers regarding remote learning
• Approximate bell schedules for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools
• NUSD waiver status
• Power outages and their impacts on students

The soonest we anticipate returning students to hybrid learning

With the goal of transparency and helping families build their own unique schedules, I will always share the best information I can regarding information impacting you. Based upon a review of the COVID data available to us and many conversations with Dr. Willis, it has been decided that NUSD will remain on the remote learning schedule until at least October 4, 2020.

We will continue to monitor the data, hold discussions with public health and will confirm this timeline or changes to this timeline as soon as possible. Our schools will be ready for a return to in-person learning as soon as the data and guidance makes that possible. We are prepared with significant amounts of personal protective equipment, increased custodial staffing, safety training, one-way routes around campuses and clear signage for drop off and pick up. We are committed to student, staff and community safety.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the Novato Federation of Teachers regarding remote learning

On Friday, August 14, 2020, the Novato Unified School District and the Novato Federation of Teachers came to agreement on a memorandum of understanding regarding a remote school schedule for the 2020-2021 school year. This agreement contains general bell schedules for our schools during the period of distance learning and contains important decisions regarding the Virtual Learning Academy. We will continue to negotiate the terms of a return to hybrid learning and then a return to all in-person learning.

Approximated bell schedules for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools

Below, you will find the approximated bell schedules for our differing levels. We continue to work out the details of the high school bell schedule and your high school will get the final schedule to you as soon as possible. The information below provides the parameters we will use in finalizing each site’s unique schedule.

Elementary School Schedule

Middle School Schedule

Novato High School Schedule

San Marin High School Schedule

Marin Oaks High School Schedule

NUSD waiver status

NUSD is not currently planning on applying for a waiver to bring TK-5 students back prior to other students. We will continue to monitor the data associated with COVID in our community acknowledging that we continue to have pockets within our community where there are high rates of infection. Any future decision on waivers will be made in partnership with public health, our labor partners, and our Trustees as required by the law governing these waivers.

Power outages and their impacts on students

PG&E has communicated with Marin County residents that there is the potential for power outages over the next several days. These rolling blackouts are most likely to happen in the afternoons after school is out for the day. It also appears that Marin County is on the backside of this week’s heatwave. At this point, we do not see this impacting our ability to open schools on Thursday and Friday. We will continue to monitor this situation and will let you know if there are any changes to this status.

The 2020-2021 school year will start unlike any other. Our goals remain the same. We will achieve our mission statement. We will “Engage, inspire and empower all students, in a rapidly changing world, to realize their life goals.”

One thing you have heard a lot from me and that you will continue to hear is that many, if not all of us, are under a great deal of stress. We are worried for ourselves, our loved ones, for our community and for our planet. Please make time to take care of yourself, be kind to yourself, and take care of those around you. We are all in this together. We will get through this together. Please give grace to those around you as they do the best they can.

Sincerely,

Kris Cosca

www.nusd.org/COVID

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