ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Dear Members of the Alvord Community,

It's Red Ribbon Week. This year's theme is Drug Free Looks Like Me. Annually, Red Ribbon Week serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate students about the dangers of substance use and abuse. Our schools enthusiastically participate in the education campaign every year, but we don't stop there. We are always educating our children on the dangers of substance use and are always on the lookout for signs of substance use and abuse.

Schools have always been on the front lines of the war on drugs. Educating the whole child extends well beyond academics. We help our students acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. We also provide emotional and other forms of support to distressed families.

Programs like Alvord Cares provides material support to families with food and home insecurity. Our student services team, family engagement team, and school counselors provide direct support to students and their families, as well as connect them to the vast network of governmental and non-governmental agencies that support families in a variety of ways.

The pandemic has produced sustained disruptions to several domains of adolescents’ lives, including increased alcohol and substance use. Children and families with pre-existing disadvantages, or those who have experienced material hardship during the pandemic have been even more vulnerable, as are foster youth and other groups of high-risk children. Furthermore, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare reports that about 1 in 8 children ages 17 or younger are living in households with at least one parent who has a substance use disorder. While these 8.7 million children will not all experience abuse or neglect, they are at increased risk for child maltreatment and child welfare involvement compared to other children.

Red Ribbon Week is a reminder that the war on substance use and abuse is never over, and we all have a role to play.

Alvord joins forces with the Riverside County District Attorney's Crime Prevention Unit to present two webinars on critically important topics: The Dangers of Fentanyl, on November 3; and Drug Awareness, on November 15.

See details below.

After completing the season 9-1 in league and 15-4 overall, the team is now 2-0 in the CIF playoffs after defeating Temescal Canyon in the first round and Kaiser this past Saturday. Next up, the quarterfinals against the Lancaster High School Eagles in Lancaster this coming Wednesday, October 27. Good luck girls!

The community was welcomed to the campus of La Sierra High School this past weekend to tour the school, learn about its programs, meet its staff, and have fun. It was a great day! Principal, Dr. Tania Cabeza, and her team of students and staff met and greeted many past, current, and future Eagles. Families enjoyed food, face painting, games, and campus tours. Pictured below are some of La Sierra's wonderful students showing off many of the great opportunities available to current and future students. Talented artists like Miguel, pictured top center standing behind his many paintings and creations, highlighted the school's visual arts program.

Students attend Norte Vista High School's Saturday Academy to work on projects, study with classmates, work with tutors, and spend time with friends in a safe and nurturing environment that's designed to support students and help them succeed.

Positive Cases this past week:

• 17 students (Up from 12 last week but down from 27 the prior week)
• 13 staff members (up from 2 last week and 7 the prior week)

Students Identified Through Contact Tracing:

• 117 students assigned modified quarantine (which means they can continue to attend school in-person as long as they don't develop symptoms and test twice weekly for two weeks)
• 13 students assigned full quarantine (home for at least 10 days)

Overall, we have been serving students in-person for 55 school days. As of Friday, October 22, we have had 83 staff members and 332 students report a positive test for COVID-19. Stay current with our case rate by regularly tracking our COVID-19 Data Dashboard and FAQ here. Cases recorded on the Dashboard are confirmed by Riverside County Public Health officials and remain on the Dashboard for 14 days.

This past week in Riverside County, there were 377 new cases (0.1% increase) equating to 11.5 cases per 100K (7-day average), 11 new deaths (0.2% increase), and a 4.0% positivity 7-day rate (0.2% decrease from 7-days prior). There are currently 271 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, 3 more patients hospitalized from the prior day total (1.1% increase). This data is as October 23, 2021 as reported on the State's tracking web site.

In other COVID news, eight members of our school community addressed the Board of Education during public comments at this past Thursday's Board meeting. The speakers eloquently expressed their concerns about proposed vaccination requirements, which has been a polarizing political topic at school board meetings locally and around the nation.

In California, the proposed state mandate is set to begin either Jan. 1 or July 1 in all public and private schools serving students in-person, depending on when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves the shot for children in each grade span. However, as of this date, the State's proposed vaccination regulation provides a waiver process for families whose children meet exemption requirements for medical reasons or reasons related to personal and religious beliefs. Find all of the answers to vaccination and other COVID-related questions on our FAQ here.

In California, 72.3% of the population is fully vaccinated and another 7.8% are partially vaccinated. In Riverside County, 64.7% of the population is fully vaccinated and another 7.59% are partially vaccinated. In the city of Riverside, 61.55% of the population is fully vaccinated and another 6.71% are partially vaccinated.

Below is a 12-minute video from the RIverside County Department of Public Health with an update on the public's health related to COVID-19. Dr. Shunling Tsang answers questions from the public about vaccinations, COVID-19 variants, flu-shots, seasonable spread, tips for a safe Halloween, and more.

Please update your contact information in the Aeries Parent Portal here. Given the urgency associated with needing to contact a parent or guardian during the contact tracing process or any emergency, it's critical that we have current information. Parents and students can easily access Aeries with the Aeries Mobile Portal app for parents and students. Find out how to download the mobile app below in the Family Engagement section.

The second in a series of workshops on special education services is titled, Ensuring Success for All Students. Sign up here.. The first workshop was titled, How does my student's progress report inform me of progress towards IEP goals? It was presented on October 4. Find the slides from the presentation here. Find the video presentation in English here and in Spanish here.

Join the team from Kaiser Permanente for a discussion on family stress management.

See detail in the image below.

On behalf of your Board of Education and our entire team, thank you for your partnership and for your trust in us.

Stay positive. Test weekly. Be well.

Sincerely,

Allan Mucerino

When we return for the 2021-22 school year on August 6, 2021, our two after-school programs, HALF-Time (K-5) and PRIME-Time (6-8), will be available M-F from school dismissal until 6:00 PM. The program provide FREE academic support, homework assistance and enrichment activities like art, crafts, music, sports and STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Math) along with a nutritious meal. Please register your Kindergarten through 8th grade students soon as space is limited. Sign up here in English and here in Spanish.

Q: Is Alvord currently requiring students and staff to comply with the new COVID-19 vaccination mandate?

A: No. The vaccine mandate will not take effect until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves the vaccine for the different age groups.

Q: When will the vaccine be required and for what age groups?
A: State officials expect the mandate to take effect on July 1, 2022 for students in grades' 7-12, but it could take effect as soon as January 1, 2022.

Q: Will there be exemptions if I do not want my child COVID-19 vaccinated?

A: At this point in time, we anticipate that the vaccine will be required by regulation, not legislation. Therefore, we anticipate that parents may choose to exempt their student due to medical and personal beliefs. (HSC section 120338).

Q: What is the law on medical exemptions for immunizations currently required?
A: Starting January 1, 2021, medical exemptions can only be issued through the California Immunization Registry – Medical Exemption website (CAIR-ME) by physicians licensed in California. Learn more about the medical exemption process here.

Q: What is the law on personal or religious exemptions for immunizations currently required?

A: California no longer offers personal or religious exemptions to immunization requirements for students. However, some students may have their previous exemptions "grandfathered in." If a student received a personal beliefs exemption prior to January 1, 2016, that exemption is valid until the student enters the next grade span. For example, an exemption obtained prior to 7th grade is no longer valid when the student enters 7th grade. An exemption obtained in 7th grade or thereafter is valid through 12th grade.

Q: When will we know what is required, when it will be required, and whether or not there will be exemptions?
A: To be determined. I will update this information as soon as it is released.

Q: Where can I learn more about immunization law?
A: Learn all about California's statutory requirements, Code of Regulations, and public health orders here.

CVS Pharmacy

CVS @ 6215 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506

CVS @ 6840 Lincoln Avenue, Riverside, CA 92506

CVS @ 491 E Alessandro Blvd, Riverside, CA 92508

Mobile Van Schedule

Wednesdays @ Bordwell Park, 2008 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Thursdays @ Bryant Park, 7950 Philbin Ave.

Fridays, @ Casa Blanca Library, 2985 Madison Avenue

Saturdays @ Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd.

Sundays, Arlington Heights Sports Park, 9401 Cleveland Avenue

Drive-Thru Locations

La Sierra Park Drive-Thru Location
Make an appointment @ 5215 La Sierra Avenue

7 days a week (except holidays)

Open daily (except holidays)
11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (closed 3 – 4 p.m.)

UCR Lot 26 Drive-Thru
Make an appointment @ 3443 Canyon Crest Dr.

Riverside, CA 92507

Open daily (except holidays)
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (closed noon – 1 p.m.)

Kiosk Location

Make an appointment @ 3900 Main Street
Open daily (except holidays)
8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (closed 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

For locations sponsored by RIverside County, visit their COVID-testing location finder here.

Check on the images below for the Fall workshop schedule.

Email: 2Superintendent@alvordschools.org
Website: https://www.alvordschools.org
Location: 9 Kpc Parkway, Corona, CA 92879, USA
Phone: 951) 509-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/alvordunified
Twitter: @AlvordUnified