Duarte Unified School District

Reopening Message from Superintendent Amerson (February 25, 2021)

Dear Parents, Staff, Students, and Community Members,

At the Special Board Meeting held on Wednesday, February 24, the board members approved a phased-in return of Grades PK-5 and self-contained Special Education Classes (Grades PK-Adult) to our campuses utilizing a hybrid in-person learning model to begin following Spring Break, pending any unforeseen adverse conditions. The scheduled return for each grade level at this time is outlined below:

Week of April 5, 2021 - Preschool, TK, Kindergarten
Week of April 12, 2021 - Grades 1 and 2
Week of April 19, 2021 - Grades 3, 4, and 5
*Special Education Self-Contained Classes Grades 6 through Adult will also be phased-in throughout this time period.

Starting the phased-in approach after Spring Break allows for the least disruption to students' learning continuity as it takes place following a natural break in the academic calendar. Also, by these dates, vaccinations for all staff will be more readily available.

There will still be an option for students to remain in 100% Distance Learning.

Parents of students in Grades PK-5 and Special Education students in self-contained classrooms Grades PK-Adult will receive a program selection form to choose whether 100% Distance Learning or Hybrid Learning will work best for their child for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. Both options will still include a 240 minute school day that combines synchronous and asynchronous learning. Conversations with our labor partners have been underway, and schedules for both the Hybrid Learning Model and 100% Distance Learning Model as well as specific safety protocols will be forthcoming.

No changes to the schedules or learning delivery model for Grades 6-12 will occur at this time as we are still in the Purple Tier, and the adjusted COVID-19 case rate of less than 7 per 100,000 residents has not been met. The only exception will be for students in self-contained Special Education classrooms.

Please see the main elements of the Hybrid Learning Model below:

Hybrid Learning Model:

•Students will receive in-person instruction on campus two days in the morning per week in smaller cohort groups.
•The number of students on campus at any one time will be minimized to limit interactions
•Students will receive grades and be marked for attendance five days per week
•When the students are not at school, students will engage in a robust distance learning program planned by the teacher.
•Schedules will be consistent across the district.

All health and safety guidelines will be vigilantly adhered to at all times when students and staff are on campus. These include:

•Daily health screening for students and staff when on campus.
•Masks are required for students and staff at all times and will be provided by the district.
•Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided for staff and students by the district.
•Routine hand washing will be implemented for all students.
•Physical distancing to limit the number of students in the classroom will be instituted.
•No intermingling of students during recess, breaks, or other activities.

Curbside Meals will continue to be available for all students five days per week, whether participating in 100% Distance Learning or Hybrid Learning. Students will also retain their district issued laptop.

Since school closure last March due to COVID-19, the goal has always been for our district to return to 100% in-person instruction when the health and safety conditions specific to the area encompassing Duarte Unified permit it. In anticipation of this moment, we have proactively prepared a spectrum of learning models to accomplish this goal. While we can now phase-in our Hybrid Learning option, we are mindful that a resurgence in COVID-19 cases is a possibility. For this reason, our ability to pivot back and forth between 100% Distance Learning and Hybrid Learning is a key component in our safety plan, as it may be needed depending on changes in the case rate indicators set by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH). Our district is prepared in the event we need to move back and forth between learning delivery programs, but we ask for your continued flexibility, patience, and understanding in advance as we enter this next stage.

It is also important to keep in mind, what is permissible according to LADPH has only been one of many considerations our Board of Education carefully weighed when determining the best course of action for our district throughout this pandemic. I would like to remind all of our stakeholders of the guiding principles that have served as the foundation of our reopening plan since it was developed by our Re-Visioning Taskforce this summer:

•Keeping our staff and students safe and healthy.
•Maintaining continuity and accountability of learning.
•Providing stability, safety, and support so students can learn.
•Ensuring transparency and clarity of communication.
•Making sure the plan is fiscally feasible.
•Considering the whole child: social, emotional, and academics.
•Taking into account the challenges families are facing.
•Designing flexible options that can pivot in the event of a resurgence.
•Being open to new ways of instructional delivery.
•Training and supporting teachers and staff on best practices.

Being in 100% Distance Learning for these many months has taught us that remote learning has certain benefits that we should consider keeping in our educators' toolbox. Still, it is abundantly clear that the best place for learning to take place is in our classrooms for the majority of our students. I commend our Board's conscientious decision to begin the safe return of students and staff to our campuses, and I am grateful for the support of our parents, staff, and community as we continue to move forward together.

Thank you, and be well, everyone!

Best wishes,
Gordon

Gordon Amerson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Duarte Unified School District