TVUSD Community Update

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• Status of Hubs
• Status of Reopening Plans
• Elementary Learning Models and Staff Assignments
• How to Report a COVID-19 Positive Test or Direct Exposure
• Community Testing Resources
• Current Positive Case Numbers Reported to TVUSD Within Last 14 Days

All information regarding the 2020/21 school year, resources, and reopening updates are available at https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us/2021schoolyear.

Dear Families,

We hope that you had a happy, safe, and healthy winter break. We were excited to see our students and staff, even in the online format, as we returned to classes last week. Our secondary students came back to new second semester schedules that align with the cohort model. Because of the secondary master schedules' complexities, implementing the change now at the beginning of the second semester will provide a seamless transition when we can legally transition to the hybrid, on-campus cohort model. Our elementary students did not experience any changes to their current schedules. Preparation of class lists and communication with families continues at the elementary level. More information specific to elementary is listed below.

The winter break also resulted in the anticipated increase in case positivity rates locally, and we continue to watch and evaluate the local indicators. Our school campuses are prepared and ready to welcome students in the hybrid models, and protocols and processes are in place to safely address COVID-19 requirements. Our ultimate goal remains the safe return of students and staff to on-campus learning as soon as we are legally authorized to do so.

• EL hubs are targeted to reopen on January 19, 2021.
• All other hubs are targeted to reopen no sooner than January 25, 2021.
• All reopenings are dependent upon local case rates and indicators.

We want to update you regarding TVUSD's special education learning centers and general education support hubs. We have been monitoring our county and district positive case rate numbers to determine the feasibility of reopening our hubs safely. Unfortunately, due to the steady increases, we are not anticipating reopening TVUSD general ed or special ed support hubs sooner than January 25, 2021.

The only exception is our EL hubs. We are currently targeting January 19, 2021, to reopen our EL hubs, if possible, due to the significant loss of learning these students are experiencing with no connectivity access in their homes.

We will continue to monitor and evaluate weekly for any potential change to our plans. Should we be able to open a hub sooner, we will provide an update.

• TVUSD is not legally able to open - we remain in the purple tier.
• Local cases and indicators continue to increase.
• The earliest date for reopening remains January 25, 2021.
• Campuses, processes, and protocols are in place.
• The Governor has issued a new plan; details are still being evaluated.
  
• The elementary waiver is awaiting county approval; TVUSD is proceeding with elementary staff assignment notifications in preparation for waiver approval.

Riverside County remains in the most restrictive purple tier. This means that, under current guidelines, we cannot legally open schools for in-person instruction until our county moves back to the red tier. We continue to plan and move forward for TK-12 grades by preparing school campuses to return to in-person hybrid instruction models within the red tier. Any return is contingent upon Riverside County's status; however, our campuses, protocols, and processes are established and ready. Before the winter break, we shared that, based on expected surges in COVID-19 positive cases, TVUSD would not be looking at reopening sooner than January 25, 2021. This timeline and associated plans remain in place, and we continue to watch and evaluate local indicators.

During the last week of winter recess, the Governor announced a new plan for reopening schools. A return under his new plan is predicated on our local county having fewer than 28 positive coronavirus cases per 100,000, required employee and student testing, and the development of a new COVID-19 Safety Plan. However, this is contingent on the County achieving an adjusted positivity rate of 28 or less per 100,000. This plan is still not formally approved; it will be put for a vote within the Legislature on Monday, January 11th. A summary of the plan is available here.

Elementary School Waiver

TVUSD's waiver for TK-5 grades to operate within the purple tier is on file with RivCoPH. They have advised that they are currently on-hold with approvals until case positivity rates begin to decline. To ensure we are ready should our waiver be approved, elementary administrators are continuing to contact families and confirm families' preferences regarding hybrid, flex, and online learning models in alignment with staffing. Preliminary staffing assignments will be shared with elementary staff beginning this week.

• Elementary site administrators are currently creating class lists and teacher assignments in preparation for reopening.
• Master schedules are being prepared based on family survey responses and follow-up communication with site administrators.
• No changes to schedules will be implemented until we can transition to a hybrid, on-campus model.
• Teacher assignments and class lists will be shared beginning this week.

At the elementary level, upon reopening, our school sites will develop a master schedule that has taken into consideration all student families' preferences, along with any staffing needs. Although the options might end up being different based on the results of parent preference by site (i.e., in-person, online), our students' potential schedules will result in one of the three following programs.

Elementary Hybrid: In this program, the District will offer an instructional model where the teacher will teach on-site with two cohorts. Each cohort will spend 2.5 hours of instruction in-person with the teacher in either an AM or PM session. The teacher will also provide asynchronous online instruction (30 minutes for Preschool, TK, and K, 90 minutes for 1-5) for each cohort to complete during the alternate session. This is intended for students whose families chose an in-person instructional model.

Elementary Flex: In this program, the District will offer an instructional model in which the teacher will be teaching on-site with one of two cohorts. The other cohort will receive all instruction online. Each cohort will spend 2.5 hours of instruction in person (or synchronous online) with the teacher in either an AM or PM session. The teacher will also provide asynchronous instruction (30 minutes for Preschool, TK, and K, 90 minutes for 1-5) for each cohort to complete during the alternate session. This is intended for students whose families chose either an in-person instructional model or an online instruction model and will remain with their currently assigned teacher.

Elementary Online: In this program, the District will offer an instructional model whereby the teacher will only provide virtual instruction. Based on the needed class changes that might result under this model, and if the Elementary Flex model is not an option under these circumstances, there is a probability that students will have a change of teacher under this model. The instructional schedule (time) will remain as has been under the remote learning model.

We care deeply about making the least amount of disruption to students' schedules. We feel that we have developed options that allow for the flexibility to meet our community's needs. Thank you for your survey responses and for working with our staff to adequately meet our students' needs.

TVUSD's elementary administrators are currently creating class lists and making teacher assignments in preparation for reopening. No changes to schedules will be made until we can transition to hybrid, on-campus learning. As part of the preparation process, communication with teachers and families about class assignments will begin this week.

TVUSD families of enrolled students are encouraged to use the process below to report COVID-19 direct exposure or a positive test. The reporting process is confidential and follows the guidelines and protocols developed by the California Department of Public Health and Riverside County Public Health. We ask that families use this process to ensure that the appropriately trained staff respond to families. Phone and online reporting is available.

Many of our families and employees have reached out and requested information on local resources. There are currently many free testing options, including through the Riverside County Department of Public Health https://gettested.ruhealth.org/home, your healthcare provider, and many drug stores and private labs that may bill your insurance. Additionally, the City of Temecula maintains a full list of available COVID testing resources. We encourage you to visit their page for available options. https://temeculaca.gov/1384/Local-COVID-19-Testing-Sites. The City of Murrieta has also posted resources here.

TVUSD maintains a list of confirmed, reported cases for students and staff within the last 14 days. The chart is published publicly on our COVID-19 website and updated every Friday. The reason for the dashboard is to maintain transparency with our students, families, and staff regarding our case positivity rates and potential exposures. We currently have staff working from district facilities and students participating in athletic conditioning and extracurricular activities. When we return to on-campus learning, the District will be required to document case rates to determine percentages for required closures of classes, schools, departments, and the District.

Office of Public Information

Email: lboss@tvusd.us
Website: https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVUSD