ESUSD Superintendent Melissa Moore distributed this message via email to parents, ESUSD employees and the community on 01/29/21.
Dear ESUSD Families, Employees and Community,
At the January 26th Board meeting, the Board of Education approved my recommendation to resume in-person services and programs as follows:
- Resume TK-2nd Grade Hybrid School starting Tuesday, February 2
- Resume Athletic Conditioning starting Monday, February 1
- Resume High Needs Hybrid Stable Cohorts starting Monday, February 1
Local Developments with COVID-19
There have recently been a number of encouraging developments regarding the status of COVID in Los Angeles County. On Monday, Governor Newsom announced that he is lifting the most recent stay at home order. I anticipate that Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will release a new health order shortly that further aligns with CDPH. Healthcare workers and persons age 65 and older are eligible for the vaccine. Although the education and childcare sector are not yet eligible, I remain hopeful that the vaccine supply will improve and the window of opportunity for the education and childcare sector will likely open in February. Meanwhile, the El Segundo numbers continue to improve, with testing positivity and active cases in decline.
Next Steps
At the February 9th Board meeting, the Board of Education will hear presentations regarding the following topics:
- Consider adding 3rd grade hybrid students on campus
- Consider restarting Eagle’s Nest Preschool for 2021-22 School Year
Update for Hybrid Students in Grades 4th-12th
The Board of Education is committed to safely return students for in-person services and programs when health directives allow to do so. This month, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a new document that serves as a health directive to further clarify requirements for school opening aligned with the state’s color-coded tiered system under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. The document outlines the necessary case rates to return hybrid students in 4-6 grades and 7-12 grades.
Currently, Los Angeles County is in the Purple Tier with a COVID-19 case rate of 45 cases per 100,000, which is a significant drop in the past several weeks. There is some additional good news on the horizon: when the case rate reaches 25 cases per 100,000, students in grades 4-6 are eligible to return on campus for Hybrid School. In order to allow hybrid students in grades 7-12 to return to school campuses, the health directive requires Los Angeles County to enter the Red Tier, which is a case rate of seven (7) cases per 100,000. Our administrative team is actively exploring any way to find additional opportunities for our students to connect at school within the health protocols and procedures stated in the state and local health directives and orders.
At this point in time, it is essential that we all do our part to bring the case rates down in order to safely return all hybrid students to school. Thank you for your efforts in following all county and state health orders!
Take care and be safe,
Melissa Moore, Ed.D.
Superintendent
El Segundo Unified School District