Novato Unified School District Return To School

Press release from the Novato Unified School District:

July 17, 2020

(En español)

Dear Novato Community,

My heart goes out to our parents, students and staff as we collectively navigate the complexities of our return to school. We are in an unprecedented and ever-changing situation regarding the reopening of our schools. In the past 48 hours we have received new and anticipated guidance from Marin County Health and Human Services (MCHHS), and Governor Newsom about reopening guidelines in California. (Here is the link to his press conference today on YouTube.)

As we have from the beginning of the pandemic, NUSD will follow this public health guidance. Based upon this new guidance, NUSD will begin the school year on August 20 remotely with distance learning. Per the guidance from MCHHS, NUSD, “…may begin in-person instruction no sooner than September 8.”

As of today, Marin County is on Governor Newsom’s Monitoring List. As such, the Governor’s guidance for our return to safe in-person schooling is, “Using health data, schools can physically open when its county has been off the Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days.”

NUSD will continue distance learning for all students until such time guidance is received from Marin Public Health that Marin County has met the state criteria for having safe in-person schooling by not being on the state’s Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days.

Please note, the Virtual Learning Academy students will not be involved in the return to school efforts. Rather, they will be receiving all instruction online throughout the 2020-21 school year unless a transfer is requested. Transfers will be approved on a space available basis.

To prepare for the year ahead and to know which students will be returning to our Flexible In-Person Schooling when it is safe to do so, we are asking our Novato community to select one of two options for the 2020-21 school year (here is link to form). The first option is our fully remote Virtual Learning Academy. This program is designed for families who have made the decision that virtual learning is the best option for them. All other students will participate in the Flexible In-School Learning model which will strive for the maximum amount possible of safe in-person learning allowable under the guidance of MCHHS and the State of California. More information about these program options can be found on our July 15 Virtual Town Hall on Return to School.

NUSD is working with our employee groups and putting safeguards in place to reopen our schools when the time is right. We will continue to rely on guidance from our local public health agencies to determine when it is safe to do so. It is probable that we will be forced to shift between different instructional delivery models if conditions change throughout the year. We are preparing for these shifts.

Thank you to everyone who is part of our team. We are facing extraordinary challenges, and I am proud of the work we are doing, together, as a community to find the best solutions for our students and staff.

Sincerely,

Kris Cosca., Ed.D.

Important Dates and Checkpoints

July 20

Window to select Virtual Learning Academy closes at midnight (all other requests after this date will be placed on a wait list based on the date submitted). Families who do not enter a request will be enrolled in our Flexible In-Person Schooling model which will strive for the maximum amount of In-Person time allowable within public health guidelines. https://nusd.schoolmint.net/packets/12437

July 22

Virtual Learning Academy faculty needs are solidified, and classes and positions are created. NUSD teachers will have the opportunity to apply for a transfer under the regular inter-district opening(s) process to the Virtual Learning Academy.

July 28

Board of Education discusses reopening plan for Flexible In-Person Schooling.

August 5

Virtual Learning Academy teaching positions filled; In-Person Schooling sites begin adjusting their staffing assignments accordingly.

August 20

First Day of School. Virtual Learning Academy launches remote learning. Flexible In-Person Schooling begins under state and county health guidelines.

August 28

Based on State and County guidelines, parents will receive status updates each week beginning on August 28 with a minimum of one week notice before significant program revisions are implemented (As of July 17, 2020, the earliest date for In-Person Schooling is September 8)

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