ALVORD UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Dear Members of the Alvord Community,

In the last few weeks, a social media trend known as the "devious licks" or "diabolical licks" challenge has emerged across the nation leaving school districts to deal with thefts and vandalism, as well as time-consuming investigations in their wake. In the world of social media, a "lick" is a slang term for theft. Unfortunately, some of our students have taken part in the challenge by vandalizing their schools or stealing school property and posting the evidence on TikTok or other social media platforms. The social approval student receive on-line has driven the trend and emboldened students to make poor choices.

We have had soap dispensers, hand sanitizer stations, and paper towel and toilet paper dispensers broken or stolen. We have experienced clogged toilets, damaged sinks and urinals, and red dye sprayed on mirrors, walls, sinks and toilets. Most of the vandalizing has occurred in restrooms. We have also experienced students taking items from classrooms without permission. Students as young as the fourth grade have been involved in these acts. When we have to close a restroom for repairs, or take the time to repair or replace soap dispensers and sanitizer stations, it increases everyone's risk of infection since it compromises one of our most important safety measures.

Our primary concern, in addition to the potential increase of COVID-19 transmission, is that many students may not fully understand the gravity of their behavior, not recognizing that they are committing a crime. Please speak with your children and remind them that theft and destruction of school property are crimes. Criminal acts will lead to police involvement and possible citations or even more severe consequences. Also, phones are often seized as evidence. We have increased our supervision. However, as I have been reporting in my weekly messages, staffing schools is a problem. We need everyone to contribute to keep our schools and everyone in them safe.

Our students, staff, and families have done an outstanding job protecting themselves and each other. Our rate of reported COVID-19 cases is well below county and state averages and consistent with all of our neighboring school districts. Our rate will decrease further if parents screen their children at home for flu-like symptoms or cold symptoms and keep them home until tested. Contact the COVID-19 Help Center to get connected to a registered nurse if you have any questions. You can also pick up a home-testing kit from the COVID-19 Help Center or your school. Contact the COVID-19 Help Center team at 951 509 5014 Monday through Friday from 7:30 - 4:30. Or email 24/7 to COVIDHelp@alvordschools.org.

We had a total of 33 students (down from 37 last week) and 4 staff members (down from 6 last week) test positive this past week. 317 people were identified as potentially having had close contact with the person who tested positive (down from 412 last week). Our COVID-19 Help Center contact tracing team completed the contact tracing process by contacting students and families to determine what level of quarantine, if any, is appropriate. There are commonly five outcomes for students in contact tracing protocol, as follows:

1. The student is vaccinated, in which case they may continue to attend school and participate in extra-curricular activities as long as they remain asymptomatic.
2. The student is not vaccinated, in which case they may continue to attend school, but on modified quarantine, as long as they test twice-weekly and remain asymptomatic. They may not participate in extra-curricular activities during the 10-day modified quarantine period.
3. The student has symptoms, in which case they remain home on full quarantine, COVID-test, and be cleared by our Health Services team before returning to school.
4. The student voluntarily remains home for the 10-day quarantine period out of an abundance of caution (could be due to student moderately or severely immunocompromised or other personal reasons).
5. The student is not able to be reached due to inaccurate contact information, in which case the student is called to the school office for symptom screening and to discuss contact tracing protocol and update contact information with parents.

Please update your contact information in the Aeries Parent Portal here so that we have your current email address and cell phone numbers.

For employees in close contact protocol, we follow Cal/OSHA COVID-19 regulations. Employees who are not fully vaccinated must complete the 10-day quarantine period and may only return to work after they are medically cleared. Employees who are fully vaccinated may return to work if they exhibit no symptoms. All employees with symptoms must remain home until they are cleared to return to work.

Overall, we have been serving students in-person for 30 school days. As of Friday, September 17, we have had 53 staff members (2.3% positivity rate) and 233 students (1.3% positivity rate) 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.

In Riverside County this past week, there were 675 new cases (0.2% increase), 6 new deaths (0.1% increase), and a 6.7% positivity 7-day rate (0.7% decrease from 7-days prior). There are 500 COVID-19 hospitalized patients (0.6% decrease from previous day) and 140 COVID-19 ICU patients (7.7% increase from previous day). This data is as of Friday, September 17, 2021 as reported on the State's tracking web site.

Below are brief videos in English and Spanish on what happens when a positive COVID-19 case is reported to one of our schools.

For students in elementary school, this coming Monday, September 20, marks the beginning of the deficiency notice period, which concludes on October 29. Principals and teachers will communicate procedures for notifications, including parent-teacher conferences.

For students in middle and high schools, this coming Monday, September 20, marks the beginning of the second progress reporting period, which concludes on October 29. Principals and teachers will communicate procedures for notifications, including parent-teacher conferences.

In the event students are quarantined and have to learn from home temporarily, some teachers use the Google Classroom to provide materials and support, others use ClassDojo for a similar purpose. In some cases, teachers will prepare hard copies of materials. Either way, students who are quarantined for 3 or more days but well enough to do school work will be placed on a short-term independent study contract. Principals will provide details on that process.

The mission of the Alvord Education Foundation (AEF) is to support and enrich the Alvord student education experience by providing classroom enrichment grants to teachers and college scholarships to students. AEF functions on the support of community members, parents, private business owners and donor organizations to fulfill that mission. If you are in a position to help, please donate to AEF here.

Since the Northgate González Market came to Riverside a few years ago, they have been great partners, donating money and groceries and other items to our schools. During the pandemic, they have secured food assistance to large and small local nonprofits who serve our most vulnerable populations. This past Wednesday, they gifted Alvord Cares with hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies. Alvord Cares is our foundational arm that supports students and their families struggling with food insecurity, home insecurity, and other basic needs. Below is a picture with one of our grateful students, Andrea, with her Aunt Sylvia, Alvord Trustees' Moreno and Wilson, Councilman Jim Perry, and others for a picture commemorating the donation. Thank you Councilman Perry for bringing Northgate and Alvord together!

Thanks to a team effort, a group of Alvord moms and some staff members prepared care packages this past Friday to support our families in need. On behalf of the Board of Education and Alvord Cares founder Trustee Carolyn Wilson, thank you to our volunteers and thank you to all of our donors too.

Lance Corporal Kareem Mae’Lee Grant Nikoui, a Norco High AFJROTC graduate from our neighboring Corona-Norco Unified School District, was one of the 13 U.S. troops killed in the suicide bombing at Afghanistan’s Kabul Airport last month. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the young man, the Norco High and CNUSD family, and the Norco community. The U.S. Marine was honored in a procession on Friday and memorialized yesterday in a celebration of his young life.

In appreciation of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our schools will celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America in a variety of ways throughout the month.

On behalf of the Board of Education and our entire team, thank you for supporting our schools. Together, we can keep everyone safe and keep our schools open.

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.

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.

The Riverside County Department of Education (RCOE) also provides many services for school-age children and their families. Click on the image below or here to visit the RCOE Parent Portal. To browse by topic, click on the links below for detailed information.

Child Care for Essential Workers

Child Care Assistance and Resources

Child Care Finder

Head Start

Migrant Head Start

State Preschool

Teen Parent Program

Infant/Toddler Special Education Programs

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