Novato Unified School District Superintendent Update - October 2, 2020

Press release from the Novato Unified School District:

October 2, 2020

En español

Dear NUSD Family,

I hope this message finds you well. I will touch on the following topics in this end of week communication:

• Staff’s October 6 recommendation to the Board of Trustees for a return to flexible in-person learning
• Examples of NUSD’s preparations for a safe return of students to campuses when the time is right
• An update on negotiations with the Novato Federation of Teachers.

Staff’s October 6 recommendation to the Board of Trustees for a return to flexible in-person learning

Staff will recommend a staggered return that brings back our students who struggle the most in accessing distance learning, prioritizing our youngest students and our students with special needs. Please know that this recommendation will be approved, revised, or rejected by the Board and should not be considered final until the Board takes action.

You can find the Board Agenda, including the recommendation here (https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030351&MID=3605)

Examples of NUSD’s preparations for a safe return of students to campuses when the time is right

By October 13, every NUSD school site will have a School Site-Specific Protection Plan (SSSPP) approved by Marin County. These plans cover 30 safety procedures that must be in place before we can bring students back to school. (You can see a template for those plans here)

Here is a list of some of the other actions NUSD has taken over the past several months:

• Purchased electrostatic disinfectant sprayers for all sites to support daily cleaning.
• Added custodial positions to ensure all sites can perform enhanced cleaning.
• Purchased personal protective equipment for all classrooms and student/staff spaces including but not limited to hand sanitizer, cloth and disposable masks, gloves, face shields, wipes, disinfectant and more.
• Added stand up and wall mounted hand sanitizer stations around campuses.
• Increased filter capacity of our heating ventilation and air conditioning units to MERV 13 where possible.
• Purchased air purifiers with HEPA Filters for all classrooms where MERV 13 filtration is not possible.
• Arranged classrooms with approximately 6 feet between desks for our initial return of students to campus (typically 6 feet and not less than 5 feet and 6 inches).
• Installed plexi-glass barriers in high traffic public areas including offices, libraries, counselor offices, etc.
• Purchased three sided barriers for use when physical distancing is not practicable (for example counselors, 1:1 assessment, etc.)

An update on negotiations with the Novato Federation of Teachers.

As shared previously, NUSD was disappointed by NFT’s failure to ratify the tentative agreement which was mutually arrived at after multiple negotiation sessions. Negotiations continue with multiple sessions scheduled for next week as NUSD continues to believe that having a memorandum of understanding will best serve our students and our schools. In the meantime, we continue to move forward with our reentry plans.

With each passing week it seems like 2020 provides us with additional challenges and I continue to believe we can get through anything – together. Take care of yourselves and those around you.

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.