In addition to the State of California fully reopening the economy on June 15, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in Kindergarten (K)-12 Schools on July 9, 2021. CDC recommends the full reopening of schools. Furthermore, based on the CDC announcement, the State of California announced that they will be updating guidance for California schools during the week of July 12.
Q: What are the key points of the new CDC guidance?
A: A summary of the main elements of the guidance are as follows:
- Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority.
- Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting vaccination can help schools safely return to in-person learning as well as extracurricular activities and sports.
- Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.
- Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
- Students, teachers, and staff should stay home when they have signs of any infectious illness and be referred to their healthcare provider for testing and care.
- Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (e.g., using multiple prevention strategies together consistently) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, staff, and other members of their households.
- COVID-19 prevention strategies remain critical to protect people, including students, teachers, and staff, who are not fully vaccinated, especially in areas of moderate-to-high community transmission levels.
- Localities should monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, screening testing).
Q: What is different between the new guidance and the past guidance from CDC?
A: See a summary of the recent changes below:
- Added information on offering and promoting COVID-19 vaccination.
- Updated to emphasize the need for localities to monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, screening testing, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies
- Revised to emphasize the COVID-19 prevention strategies most important for in-person learning for K-12 schools.
- Added language on the importance of offering in-person learning, regardless of whether all of the prevention strategies can be implemented at the school.
- Schools where not everyone is fully vaccinated should implement physical distancing to the extent possible within their structures (in addition to masking and other prevention strategies), but should not exclude students from in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement.
- Updated to align with guidance for fully vaccinated people.
- Updated to align with current mask guidance.
- In general, people do not need to wear masks when outdoors.
- Added language on safety and health protections for workers in K-12 schools.
Q: Are school districts in the State of California required to follow the CDC guidance?
A: No. CDC guidance is meant to supplement—not replace—any federal, state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which schools must comply.
Q: What agency are school districts in the State of California required to follow?
A: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Q: Has the CDPH released its guidance for the 2021-22 school year?
A: No. But on July 9, 2021, CDPH announced that it will align its guidance with CDC guidance.
Q: When will the new school guidance be released?
A: The week of July 12, 2021.
Q: Will face coverings be required when the 2021-22 school year begins in Alvord on August 6?
A: To be determined based on CDPH requirements.
Q: Are face coverings required during summer school?
A: Yes. Face coverings are required when indoors, even for fully vaccinated individuals. This applies to students and staff in schools, childcare, and other youth settings.
Q: Are face coverings required in outdoor settings for students and staff during summer school?
A: No. Face coverings are not required in outdoor settings throughout the Alvord Unified School District, including summer school staff and students.
Q: If students take a school trip off school campus to an indoors location, do vaccinated students need to wear a mask indoors if the location they are visiting does not require vaccinated people to wear masks?
A: If students are participating in a school event or being supervised by school staff, face mask guidance for K-12 settings must be followed regardless of location.
Q: Do fully vaccinated teachers and staff need to wear masks in school buildings if school is out for the summer and students are not in the building?
A: For district staff in administrative buildings or for teachers on campus when student programs are not in session and students are not in the building, masking guidance is governed by current Cal/OSHA requirements. A district may use any of the options for masking that are provided to businesses to guide masking policies for anyone from the general public who may be entering the District Offices or coming on-campus when student programs are not in session.
Q: Is the State's requirement and Riverside County's requirement the same?
A: Yes. Riverside public health officials confirmed that children and staff do not need to wear a mask outside because we are not an area of high transmission, but must follow all State guidelines indoors.
Q: Will school be fully in-person, five days a week, when the 2021-22 school year begins on August 6?
A: Yes.
Q: Will families have a home-based option if they choose not to attend school in-person?
A: Yes. Principals will survey their families during the week of July 12. Based on our interest-survey in April, we have a small percentage of families interested in a home-based learning model.
Q: What will the home-based learning option be in 2021-22?
A: Unlike last year, when thousands of students learned from home, the home-based option in 2021-22 will rely primarily on an independent study model, utilizing Edgenuity™ for 6-12 students and Accelerate™ for K-5 students.
Q: What is Edgenuity™ and Accelerate™?
A: Both are computer-based, user-friendly learning management systems that structure and monitor learning. Students are assigned to an Alvord Unified School District teacher who monitors attendance and progress, but does not directly teach on a daily basis.
Q: Regarding home-based learning, what if my child has an IEP or is an English language learner?
A: Learning from home is not ideal for many students. Principals, counselors, and IEP teams will discuss each case on an individual basis to determine the best course of action for any family requesting the home-based learning model.
Q: What if I plan for my child to attend in-person but change my mind if face covering restrictions, or other requirements that I disagree with, are mandated when school starts?
A: The option of a virtual program will always be available. After all, conditions and circumstances for families change. But for staffing and learning continuity purposes, we will ask families to make a commitment of no less than a semester in the virtual program, although special circumstances will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Attending to the physically and emotionally safe return of all students to classrooms is our priority. We are designing for that safe return by bolstering support services and strictly adhering to safety guidelines to ensure that our students have a sense of belonging and feel safe. Given the mental health and trauma that many students, families, and educators have faced these past 15 months, we believe in-person school provides us with the best opportunity to provide the guidance, support, and resources necessary to accelerate learning, recover learning loss, provide social and emotional support, and intervene when students are struggling academically or emotionally.
With that being said, we also have prioritized choice by providing alternatives to in-person instruction in the event conditions change related to COVID or related to family circumstances. We are confident that regardless of the model chosen, we will be prepared to meet the needs of each and every student.
