RBUSD COVID-19 Updates

 
September 23, 2020
 
Dear RBUSD Community:
 
Thank you for a wonderful start to distance learning. Our teachers, counselors, classified staff, and administrators are to be commended for their preparation and implementation with this brave new world of online learning. As I continue to visit school sites and jump on a virtual classroom lesson to see teachers and support staff teaching, I am in awe of how Team RBUSD has embraced this new instructional model. It doesn’t replace live, face-to-face learning, but given our limitations, it is the next best thing. Of course, we applaud our students as well. Thus far, they have “arrived” ready to learn each morning. We have seen very few absences. Thank you to our students and thank you to our parents/guardians for your diligence to make the most out of the current state of learning.
 
We continue to follow the Los Angeles County of Department of Public Health’s (LACDPH) guidance regarding the reopening of in-person learning. At this time, LACDPH has stated it is likely that LA County schools will not reopen for in-person learning for several weeks, even months. LACDPH may consider a waiver for grades TK-6 in early November, but there is no specific date or information at this time. The reopening of LA County schools to a school-wide hybrid model without a waiver process appears to be beyond the early November timeline. I remind you that I am on a weekly call with LACDPH leaders to ensure we have the most up-to-date information. You can also learn more about the LA County and State reopening process at  http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/index.htm and https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID19CountyMonitoringOverview.aspx.
 
Our RBUSD Reopening Think Tank (RTT), composed of all stakeholder groups, continues to meet nearly every week. The RTT assisted with the various program reopening processes below:
 
  • The reopening of our Child Development Centers on June 11, and we currently have 450 students attending at our elementary sites.  (Please note, our CDC program falls under LACDPH’s “day care” program guidelines and not the guidelines for our TK-12 program.)
  • The return of one-on-one testing for students with special needs at various school sites on August 10 and thus far have completed nearly 75 assessments.
  • The reopening of our preschool program at Alta Vista on August 26. (Please note, the preschool program falls under LACDPH’s “early childhood education” program guidelines and not the guidelines for our TK-12 program.)
 
In all cases above, we have opened our doors with safety as the paramount focus, while following the LACDPH protocols at all times.
 
Per the newly approved LACDPH’s guidelines, we opened our Special Day Class program, via the hybrid learning model, on Monday of this week. This returned nearly 70 students with special needs to our school campuses. We will consider other in-person special education programs, such as elementary learning centers next. Also, per the LACDPH’s newly approved guidelines, we will begin initial assessments of potential English Learners and offer these designated students targeted, on-campus services beginning in October. This process is evolving, and as we finalize plans for servicing these vulnerable student populations, we will clearly communicate with those families.
 
In short, you can see that Team RBUSD is gradually and safely returning specific student groups back to campus per LACDPH guidelines. We are proud of the movement we have made thus far. We believe that these incremental reopenings will assist us when we return to the district-wide hybrid model. More specifically, we will have ideally learned from our gradual reopening experiences to better ensure a safe and smooth return to school for all students/families wishing to return to the school site, while also ensuring the safety of our staff members.
 
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this pandemic. We will continue to communicate with you as we move closer to the next phase of this learning journey. Please continue to keep you and your family safe and healthy.
 

Sincerely,

Steven E. Keller, Ed.D.
Proud Superintendent of Schools
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