TVUSD's Reopening Plan

TVUSD is moving forward with the following anticipated dates to return to on-campus instruction within the timeframes we have established. *Contingent upon any changes in red/purple tier status at the county level.

The dates below coordinate with the modified grading period and semester break.

Elementary Schools - Returns After Thanksgiving Break - November 30, 2020

Secondary Schools - Returns at the Semester - January 5, 2021

Beginning Monday, October 12, 2020, after 1:00 p.m., a quick and easy survey for families to confirm their child's learning model choice of remaining Online or transitioning to On-Campus for the remainder of the 2020/21 school year will be emailed to all TVUSD families. Responses will be due by Friday, October 16. Please review the reopening plan below for important details and information.

The Spanish version of the plan is currently being finalized and will be posted next week.

We know there are a number of questions that have arisen based on TVUSD's Reopening Plan, the state and county health and safety requirements, timing for reopening, and more.

Why the delay to November 30 (Elementary) and January 5 (Secondary) for reopening?

TVUSD’s district administrators have been steadily working behind the scenes planning each phase of the eventual reopening plan, while also simultaneously supporting site administrators, teachers, staff, students, and families to implement the current, required, two-month operational online program. When we evaluated the timing of Riverside County’s transition to the red tier, the best transition timeframe was to align it with our first 9 week grading period. Over the next few weeks, we will be reconciling student model confirmation selections based on parent responses. This is a very detailed process as we work to align teacher, staff, and student preferences, and create class lists, consistent with our employee Memorandum of Understanding agreements. The work ahead involves teacher and staff training not only in safety practices but also in practicum to maintain two learning models, simultaneously, to ensure all students reach grade-level expectations. It also requires our teams to prepare each school campus with the extensively required safety protocols. At our 16 elementary campuses, there are 689 classrooms, 188 additional buildings/office areas for a total of 1,458,563 square feet of space to plan for. At the secondary level, the timing of the return has been planned to coincide with the start of the new semester. Due to the complexities associated with master schedules, this is the best option to make changes at the secondary level. For TVUSD, this is an incredibly extensive process that will take every day on the calendar ahead to appropriately and safely plan for our students and employees to return. We continue to monitor all county indicators on a regular basis. We understand that there are a number of sources for information and factors for consideration. While our local Temecula city and area indicators may be lower than our county, the state uses the county indicators to determine tier status and movement for all of us who reside within Riverside County.

Why are other counties and districts moving forward with reopening sooner?

There have been many comparisons to Orange and San Diego counties. Both these counties moved into the red tier long before Riverside County did. While there are several districts within these counties that have chosen to reopen, there are just as many that have chosen not to reopen. Additionally, the public schools that chose to open went beyond the 14 days to evaluate and finalize their plans and open, just as TVUSD is doing. Many are waiting until January for both elementary and secondary, and some throughout California have decided to stay closed until they reach the orange or yellow tier; and some have decided to remain closed for the entire school year. Locally, Murrieta Valley Unified School District has chosen to open one week prior to us for elementary and January for secondary, the same as us. Most of our other surrounding districts are still determining their final plans for reopening and are looking at January.

Why all the restrictions?

As a publicly funded and governed school district, we have no choice but to adhere to the state and county mandates and directives that include among other things, face coverings, social distancing (at least 6 feet), and substantial cleaning and sanitization protocols. The mandates governing schools are not the same as the guidelines that apply to other public spaces or facilities. While this is not what we want as our optimal learning environment, this is what we are required to operate under in order to move forward with bringing students and staff safely back to on-campus learning. We want to assure our families that while we are committed to the required safety precautions, we are equally committed to providing our students with a balanced approach of adhering to the safeguards, while also serving their social-emotional and connection needs. Our physical sites may look different, but our staff is committed to treating our students and families with care and compassion, both in-person and online.

Why will school playgrounds be closed when our local community playgrounds are open?

Community playgrounds are visited by families supervising their own children and making independent decisions about their playmates and whether they choose to adhere to recommended safety requirements of masks, social distancing, and cleaning.

School playgrounds, as part of publicly funded school campuses, are required to adhere to state and county safety requirements of masks, social distancing, and cleaning. Even in a cohort model, school playgrounds will be subject to groups of students larger than the current state-mandated allowable sizes accessing areas at one time with no ability to properly enforce the required social distancing of six feet, in addition to the required cleaning of the play structures and equipment. In addition, with the currently planned time allotted for on-campus instruction at the elementary level, it will be our goal to utilize the time for direct instruction and the timeframe will not accommodate a recess schedule.

Why is TVUSD requesting face-coverings PreK-12 grades when the state only mandates 3rd-12th grade students?

Because of the current state requirement of masks for 3rd-12th grade, for consistency on campuses and adherence to schoolwide safety protocols for our students and staff, TVUSD is requesting all students who participate in on-campus learning wear face-coverings, who do not provide a required exemption document. PreK-2nd grade students will be required to utilize face coverings, except in limited instances when it is instructionally necessary to remove them. Other public school districts have also opted to require face-coverings for younger students in an effort to do everything possible to protect both students and staff.

Why is TVUSD using plexiglass for student desks?
While plexiglass is not part of the required safeguards, the language provided by our two authorizing agencies (state and county), has indicated that school districts should make every effort possible to implement additional safeguards to reduce the spread of the virus. We have also heard from our employees who have expressed a desire that the district provides every safety effort available to safely return staff and students to campus. Several surrounding school districts are utilizing plexiglass in the same manner.

Why are the student cohorts proposed to be by alpha, last name?

By grouping cohorts by alpha, we can ensure that families stay together on the same schedule. We understand that this can present a challenge for students who want to be assigned to a cohort with their friends.

Concerns About Moving Back Into the Purple Tier:

The county numbers released on Tuesday indicated that Riverside County is teetering on moving back into the Purple Tier based on an increase in county positive COVID19 cases and the rate of cases. We are continuing to monitor.

All Information is available on TVUSD's 2020/21 School Year Website

https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us/2021schoolyear

Website: https://www.tvusd.k12.ca.us/2021schoolyear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVUSD