Q: Will school be fully in-person, five days a week, when the 2021-22 school year begins on August 6?
A: Yes.
Q: Has the CDPH released its guidance for the 2021-22 school year?
A: Yes. On July 12, 2021. Find the guidance here.
Q: Will students have to get their temperature taken to enter campus when school begins on August 6?
A: No. Parents are required to conduct a daily self-check of their children, If a child has a fever, chills, cough or other common symptoms, parent are expected to not send their child to school. It is recommended any student exhibiting symptoms be COVID-19 tested.
Q: Will masks be required for K-12 students indoors when school begins on August 6?
A: Yes.
Q: Will masks be required for K-12 students outdoors when school begins on August 6?
A: No. They are optional.
Q: Will masks be required for K-12 staff indoors when school begins on August 6?
A: Yes.
Q: Will masks be required for K-12 staff outdoors when school begins on August 6?
A: No. They are optional.
Q: What if a student or staff member has a medical condition and is exempt from wearing a mask?
A: The student or staff member must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.
Q: Are schools required to enforce the mask requirements?
A: Yes.
Q: What if a child refuses to wear a mask indoors?
Students will be offered our distance learning program.
Q: Will there be COVID-19 testing available for students and staff?
A: Yes. It will be voluntary. We participate in the CDPH-sponsored testing program for both PCR and antigen testing. Schools will provide details.
Q: Will there be sports and performing arts events?
A: Yes. Regarding sports, we await guidelines from the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS), the governing body for high school athletics. Regarding performing arts such as marching band, choir and theater, we will follow CDPH guidelines for events.
Q: Will spectators be able to attend indoor events?
A: Yes. Spectators will be required to follow all indoor face-covering and other safety measures.
Q: Will student-athletes have to COVID-19 test?
A: Yes. We expect that participants in competitions will be required to antigen test, which provides results within 15-20 minutes. But we await official guidance on exactly what procedures will be required.
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: What is the home-based option for families choose who are unable 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.
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