Message from the Superintendent

• The health and safety of OUSD students and staff are paramount.
• Schools do not look the same as they did last year.
• During Phase 2, OUSD will offer options to accommodate families who would like to remain in the distance learning model as well as those who wish to return to on-campus instruction.
• Students will begin phasing back onto campus starting as early as September 28 if current COVID metrics hold or improve.

Dear OUSD Community,

On September 8, Orange County moved to the red tier of Governor Newsom’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Detailed information about the tier system is on the CDPH website.

If Orange County remains in the red tier for two weeks, school campuses will be allowed to reopen. Assuming that local COVID-19 metrics stay the same or improve, Orange Unified will transition to Phase 2 of the 2020-2021 OUSD Re-imagining Schools/Health & Safety-Driven Reopening Plan with the health and safety of our students and staff at the forefront of our efforts. Tentative dates to begin to offer on-campus instruction are based on local health metrics.

Our Phase 2 plan allows families to choose to remain in 100% distance learning or transition to on-campus instruction. Elementary students will also have the option to participate in a blended program with both distance and on-campus learning.

Students opting to return to campus will not all do so on the same day. Cohorts will be phased in to help establish stable groups and ensure students understand our new routines and safety protocols.

OUSD preschools and elementary schools will tentatively begin phasing grade levels back onto campus starting Monday, September 28. Middle schools will tentatively offer in-class instruction for the second half of the trimester, starting October 1, and high schools will tentatively offer on-campus instruction beginning next quarter (October 15). The District and school site principals will share additional details as they are finalized. Principals will also share site-specific information with families as we get closer to transitioning our students back into on-campus learning.

This transition to offering on-campus teaching and learning applies to all of our programs. Additionally, in-person Special Education assessments are currently underway, and individual special education services are being made available using a stepping stone approach. If you have any questions, please reach out to your site or program leader.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we continue to navigate the new school year.

Warmest Regards,

Gunn Marie Hansen, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Today, we solemnly remember the nearly 3,000 people who perished on September 11, 2001. With gratitude, we honor the brave first responders, dedicated members of our military, and ordinary Americans who showed extraordinary courage to save others on that fateful day.

Recently, School Messenger sent out erroneous calls indicating students had been absent. This glitch was caused by new programming that was needed to address changes in attendance tracking due to COVID-19. The vendor has identified the programming error and resolved the issue. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.

Email: communications@orangeusd.org
Website: www.orangeusd.org
Location: 1401 North Handy Street, Orange, CA, USA
Phone: 714-628-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrangeUnifiedSchoolDistrictCA
Twitter: @orangeunifiedCA

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