County’s Move to Red Tier Paves Way for School Reopening
'Reopening Playbook for Parents' provides valuable information on CVESD reopening
(March 17, 2021) Dear Parents/Guardians:
It is my pleasure to share our District’s official notice to you that our in-person, hybrid instructional model for students will begin on Monday, April 12. CVESD teachers who are working in the in-person hybrid instructional model will return to their respective schools on Monday, April 5. This ensures teachers and staff have appropriate time to prepare for the transition from distance learning to in-person instruction. Reopening details will be shared at a Virtual Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23.
As you know, parents can select the in-person hybrid model or keep their child(ren) in distance learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. At a special meeting on Tuesday, a Board of Education majority noted that our District is on track to move forward with in-person instruction because we have met the conditions laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding with Chula Vista Educators, the bargaining group that represents teachers. A key condition for reopening was that San Diego County return to the Red Tier, as defined in the state's tiered system. This week, County officials announced that COVID-19 case rates lowered enough for the state to redesignate San Diego from the most restrictive Purple Tier to the less restrictive Red Tier—paving the way for school districts across the region to reopen or expand in-person instruction.
Starting school in a hybrid format ensures that a limited number of students are on campus at any one time, allowing protocols such as physical distancing to be more easily implemented. In CVESD, the hybrid model consists of in-person instruction in an a.m./p.m. format Monday-Thursday, with Fridays reserved for distance learning.
It would be the first time that our schools have reopened to daily instruction since the pandemic forced school closures a year ago. I am indeed excited to welcome back students to in-person instruction. I know so many staff and families are excited to return as well. I also recognize the anxiety that some have about a return of even some of our students to campus. I want to reassure you that our District is going above and beyond when it comes to safety protocols and requirements. A hybrid instructional format is not a perfect solution. But it is an important step in restoring educational equity to our community. Students and families have suffered immensely during the pandemic from the prolonged school closures. Now, it is time to heal. It is time for all of us to recover and rebuild together.
Thank you for your patience, resiliency and grit in these extraordinary 12 months since we had to close our schools.
Remember, the Reopening Playbook for Parents contains a wealth of information. This document outlines our safe return to in-person instruction. Please review this “Parent Playbook” thoroughly by clicking here or copying and pasting this link into your web browser: https://indd.adobe.com/view/0476af62-e46a-44d1-9348-5fc8660c582b
As mentioned previously, we implore everyone to please keep your guard up. Follow protocols at home, your workplace and the community in the fight against COVID-19. We encourage you to view our video below about preparations at our campuses.
Warm regards,
Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.
Superintendent