Las Virgenes Schools Will Start The Year Off Online

Calabasas CA

17 July, 2020

2:10 PM

Description

AGOURA HILLS, CA — The Las Virgenes Unified School District has announced that students not be returning to campus Aug. 19., following the actions of nearby districts in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Malibu. "Given the recent public health trends, the School Board and I have made the difficult decision to start the school year, August 19th, with all students engaged in a virtual learning format," Superintendent Dr. Dan Stepenosky wrote Thursday afternoon on the district's Facebook page. "We hope we can allow students to return to campus possibly as soon as after Labor Day. I also want to acknowledge that this is an optimistic goal, and it depends on improving public health data." The district was originally planning to offer two options: an all-virtual option called the Virtual Learning Academy, and the option to learn on campus in staggered cohorts. As recently as Wednesday, the district was offering detailed plans about how it would keep students and staff safe on-campus, which included installing plexiglass shields, hand sanitizing stations, contactless thermometers, electrostatic cleaners, and personal protective equipment. Students were going to be divided into morning and afternoon groups, with a 90-minute break to clean and disinfect all rooms. Elementary school students would interact only with their immediate class. However, as COVID-19 cases continue to soar in California and across the country – as of Friday there are 552 confirmed cases in the area covered by the school district – the district followed the advice of the California Department of Education Coronavirus Response and School Reopening Guidance, which said that "schools should not open unless there is a sustained decrease in new cases of COVID-19." Families are still asked to choose between the Virtual Learning Academy and the on-campus option before July 24 through an online form at lvusdupdates.org. Students who select the Virtual Learning Academy will commit to either a trimester – in the case of elementary school students, or semester, for middle and high school students – in an online-only program that combines a "standards-aligned, and District-adopted curriculum" which 60 to 110 minutes a week of direct instruction from teachers. Students will work on independent projects, literacy activities, and small-group learning in between lessons. Families who opt for the on-campus option will begin the school year by learning with their teacher virtually, the same way they did in spring 2020. If the district decides to re-open campuses, they will return on a staggered schedule. "Reopening our schools is a herculean task," Stepenosky wrote." Let's continue to stay positive, take care of one another, and follow health and safety guidelines."