NUSD Supt. Cosca Update: Marin County Moves To Red Tier

Novato CA

18 November, 2020

11:01 AM

Description

Press release from the Novato Unified School District: November 17, 2020 En español Dear NUSD Family, Due to increased COVID-19 positive cases in our State, the Governor's Office and the California Department of Public Health announced that over 40 counties moved back to more restrictive tiers. Marin has been moved back to Tier 2 (Red – Substantial) (link to Marin Public Health news release). As we have seen cases surge across the country, it is not surprising that we would also experience an increase. This move to the red tier will not impact our reentry plan. The State of California allows counties in the red tier to reopen for in-person instruction. The next step in our reentry plan is to welcome our 3rd through 6th grade students back to their campuses on November 30. We will move forward with this plan so long as we are not in the purple tier. In the event Marin County moves to the purple tier before November 30, we would inform families as soon as possible and grades 3-6 would not be returning to school on November 30 (more information on this below). We are now in the fourth week of our reentry plan. We have had no school-based transmission among students, teachers or staff. The Marin County Office of Education, in partnership with Marin County Health and Human Services, recently released updated data that shows there has been zero suspected in-school transmissions in Marin. A new county-wide online dashboard features an interactive map that indicates school COVID-19 activity and is updated weekly. All of this demonstrates that we are closely monitoring our local data and have robust precautions in place to keep our students, staff, and community safe. We continue to take many precautions to keep our students, staff, and community safe including desks placed approximately 6 ft apart with 3-sided barriers, student and staff facial coverings, daily health screenings, PPE bins in every classroom, MERV-13 filters or HEPA filtration systems in classrooms, and enhanced cleaning of bathrooms and classrooms. What would pause our return plan? In our approved reentry plan, we addressed what would pause our plan: What would pause this return plan? As outlined in the COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year (California's COVID-19 Reopening Plan), if Marin County were to move from the Red Tier back to the Purple Tier, NUSD would be forced to pause the reentry plan. The plan, and accompanying timelines, would remain paused until two weeks after Marin County returned to the Red Tier. However, students on campus at the time of Marin County's move to the Purple Tier would remain in the on-campus learning model. Those in distance learning would remain in distance learning. Timelines would be adjusted accordingly. We need your help As we approach this holiday season, we ask you to partner with us to keep every student, family, staff, and faculty member safe. The commitment your family makes to following guidelines during this holiday season will directly impact our ability to reduce risk of transmission of COVID-19 at NUSD, to stay healthy, and to keep our campuses open for learning. NUSD continues to closely partner with the Marin County Department of Public Health and follow the guidelines of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and CDC to ensure that we are able to provide a rich onsite educational experience for as many of our students as possible. In advance of the holidays we are sharing information on guidelines for travel and gatherings. Bay Area public health officials issued a joint recommendation for staying safe during the holidays. You can find the details of the guidance and ideas for safe celebrations here. Gatherings, some types of travel, and/or other activities can put your family at higher risk for exposure to COVID-19. Please consider the following factors as you plan for any upcoming holiday gatherings and/or travel. High Risk Activities Social gatherings where one or more of the following high risk factors are present: Hosting or attending a social gathering of more than three households, such as a holiday celebration, is prohibited by the California Department of Public Health. People have traveled from distant communities or the group is made up of people from different geographic locations. Spread of COVID-19 is high in the community. You meet in a confined, poorly ventilated indoor space. Not everyone wears a mask. Physical distancing of 6 ft between non-household members is not observed. People freely share food and personal items with others. Travel that includes one or more of the following high-risk scenarios: Being in an area that is experiencing a surge or high levels of COVID-19, including destinations where the positivity rate is above 5%. You can check states, counties, and cities to determine if these areas are experiencing high levels of COVID-19. You can also check the Travel Health Notices for recommendations for foreign countries and U.S. territories. Non essential travel out of state Travel to any California county in the Purple Tier Travel through shared conveyance such as air, bus or rail travel Lodging which includes sharing spaces with many people and shared bathroom facilities. Being in crowds — for example, in restaurants, malls, and movie theaters. Attending a mass gathering like a sporting event, concert, or parade. Those travelling outside the Bay Area are strongly recommended to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return if activities while travelling created higher risk of getting COVID-19. Relatedly, the California Department of Public Health has a Guide for Private Gatherings and Travel Advisory and the CDC's guidance on assessing your family's risk in various activities and factors to consider for holiday celebrations. We appreciate your ongoing support as we navigate this pandemic. 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.