The Latest News from TTUSD
October 22, 2020
In this Edition
- A Message from the Superintendent
- Meet our school nurses
COVID-19 notification process & new TTUSD COVID-19 Dashboard
Update on negotiations with TTEA
A Message from the Superintendent
Dear TTUSD Community,
Next Wednesday, October 28, is our big transition day to our hybrid model of instruction, and we are just one week away from reopening our schools to students! We can’t wait to welcome them back to school safely.
Please know that we take the safety of our students and staff very seriously. We have extensive safety measures in place to reopen, and it takes a significant amount of time to plan and implement (and wait for late deliveries!). This is why we haven’t opened sooner. We’ve done our best to reduce health and safety risks and we had to be certain that every measure was in place, from redesigned classrooms to new handwashing stations, to desk shields, to creating new paths of travel, to signage all over each campus with reminders to wear a mask and practice social distancing, to installing CDPH’s recommended MERV-13 air filters at all schools and more! I am so proud of our team - they truly are the definition of a team, and everyone has been working tirelessly to make this safe reopening a reality for our students.
We need your help to make this work. Please help us keep our kids in school by diligently practicing the safety protocols outlined in our Parent Guidebook both in and out of school. At no time should anyone come on campus if they are ill. Safety is non-negotiable and we must all do our part to stay healthy.
What to expect for next week:
Monday, October 26, and Tuesday, October 27, are school days, and students will be connecting with their teachers. They will also be teacher prep days.
We are transitioning to a hybrid model of instruction on Wednesday, October 28. This is a distance learning day for all students, where teachers will go over their expectations with their students.
We are reopening our schools on Thursday, October 29 to our Cohort B students.
Students in Cohort A will be welcomed back on Monday, November 2.
This hybrid model of instruction is new to all of us. We know that our limited parameters due to COVID-19 continue to cause challenges for families. We are doing our best and will continue to learn and grow and adapt as needed to do what’s best for our students and our TTUSD community.
I appreciate your patience and partnership as we embark on this new educational model.
Carmen
Carmen Ghysels
Superintendent Chief Learning Officer
Meet our school nurses
TTUSD is fortunate to have three credentialed school nurses who work with parents and staff to help keep our kids healthy and ready to learn, thanks to Measure AA. Having highly-skilled and trained nurses are always important, and even more so as we navigate the additional challenges and safety risks due to COVID-19
In addition to having their Bachelors of Science in Nursing, each of our nurses also hold a Public Health Nurse Certificate. They are also members of the California School Nurse Organization.
This past summer, our nurses have all completed the contact tracing course from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and they are handling all contact tracing for TTUSD staff and students, should a case of COVID-19 arise.
To stay abreast of the most current health and safety information, our nurses:
meet monthly and have an ongoing dialogue and collaborate with the nurses in the Placer County school districts.
work with the PCOE County Office of Education to obtain up to date school guidelines.
attend quarterly meetings and collaborate with state officials to update themselves on the latest COVID-19 legal and medical information.
Our nurses are here to help us keep kids safe and we appreciate them!
COVID-19 notification process & new TTUSD COVID-19 Dashboard
Our District’s COVID-19 Notification Process
Should someone become infected with the COVID-19 virus, we have a detailed response and notification process that we’d like you to be aware of if you haven’t already read this. Please review our COVID-19 Symptoms/Exposure - TTUSD on campus health protocol and notification process so you know what to expect.
We have a new TTUSD COVID-19 Dashboard
As of last week, we have a new TTUSD COVID-19 Dashboard. This dashboard lists the total number of active cases of COVID-19, broken out by our school sites. It’s a brand new TTUSD specific dashboard and only has tracking information as of October 13. We’re looking into the legalities and logistics of listing out the numbers of cases by students and staff separately (this would be in an additional column).
We are fortunate to have three school nurses, and they conduct all contact tracing for our TTUSD staff and students. They were trained this past summer at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health! Their data provides crucial information to maintain our TTUSD COVID-19 Dashboard.
An update on negotiations with TTEA
We are pleased to share that as of last week, we have a ratified Memorandum of Understanding with TTEA (Tahoe Truckee Teachers Association).
Some items that have been negotiated and agreed upon between TTEA (Tahoe Truckee Teachers Association) and TTUSD include:
TTEA asked for free childcare for all TTUSD employees, from age 0 to eighth grade.
TTUSD agreed to provide free childcare during the 2020-2021 school year for students of staff members in grades TK-5.
TTEA required 10 additional sick leave days for the 2020-2021 school year.
TTUSD is providing 10 additional sick leave days for all TTUSD employees for the 2020-2021 school year.
TTEA requested the district hold a special board meeting and conduct a roll call vote when making the decision to reopening schools in hybrid instruction.
TTUSD held a special board meeting on Monday, September 28. In a 4-1 vote, the decision was made to reopen schools. The transition date was moved to October 28, to ensure all of the safety items as outlined by the superintendent in the September 28 board meeting, were met.
TTEA has expressed concerns over safety when reopening schools.
TTUSD has committed to strictly following the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) safety guidelines outlined in the CDPH’s Guidance document. Regarding face masks, TTUSD is going beyond CDPH’s recommended guidelines and requiring all students (vs. grades 3 and above) to wear masks when on campus to protect themselves, their fellow classmates, and their teachers.
TTEA requested that the district add designated distance learning teachers for all elementary schools.
TTUSD is adding additional elementary teachers who will serve as distance learning teachers for each of our elementary schools by grade level. In addition to their homeroom (current) teacher, all elementary students in year-long distance learning (Cohort C) will have the support of a designated distance learning teacher to enhance their instructional experience. These elementary distance learning teachers will provide daily direct instruction in English Language Arts and Math.