Scotts Valley Unified School Update From The Superintendent August 27, 2020

Press release from the Scotts Valley Unified School District:

August 27, 2020

Dear Scotts Valley Community,

Thank you for your patience as we have been working to determine our new “start” date for the start of the 2020-21 school year. There are a number of factors that need to be considered when making the decision for selecting the new “start” date for the year. During the period that Scotts Valley has been under evacuation orders, the District will be able to apply for a waiver from the State holding us harmless for these instructional days and student attendance. We are working with the State of California as to how many days the District is allowed once the evacuation order has been lifted. Additionally, I need to work with our employee groups.

Given my current understanding that the Scotts Valley repopulation plans will begin soon, but not knowing those specifics and acknowledging there is a universal impact on our community as well as our staff, we are going to start our school year Tuesday, September 8, following the Labor Day weekend. With that decision, we may need to make up some instructional days at the end of the school year. There is no perfect solution to this situation and we felt it best to give our families and staff more time to transition back into your homes and settle in prior to the start of the school year. If we do need to make up instructional days, it is our hope that we will be able to do so with in-person instruction in June.

For families that would like to engage students in voluntary educational activities, here are some resources available for you: Resources from the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. There are specific resources for elementary students at each school site. Elementary resources. Additionally, over the next week, secondary and elementary teachers will be sharing activities and resources to help students prepare for the new school year.

I know that SV families have been inconvenienced by this evacuation, and I also know that several folks in the Valley will be displaced even longer. Several of our district employees have been displaced all over the state, which has made operations and communication even more challenging. We will need to continue to support our families and staff who have been affected by the fires. More information will be distributed on how our community can continue to offer assistance. A big thank you to the firefighters, the emergency responders, and all of those supporting their efforts.

Take good care, Scotts Valley,

Tanya Krause, Superintendent

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