Emergency Operations & Communications
DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS)
The First Day of School is Monday, August 9
Schools will return to a regular schedule of in-person learning when school resumes on August 9, 2021. Rest assured that we will take every precaution to keep your children safe at school following health guidelines in place when we reopen.
The state recently released the updated California Department of Public Health guidance for K-12 schools. As a reminder, COVID-19 health requirements are set by state and county health officials, and school districts are required to follow the guidance in order to operate in-person instruction.
This new guidance updates previous versions in a few important ways and makes it possible for all students to return to a full in-person school schedule. These updates include the following:
- Face masks are a mandatory requirement for students while indoors at school.
- Staff in a school setting are required to wear a face mask when sharing indoor spaces with students.
- If a person is exempt from wearing a face mask due to a medical condition or if a face mask cannot be used for instructional or developmental reasons, the person must wear a non-restrictive alternative such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge.
- Face masks are not required (optional) while outdoors at school, including before and after school, during recess, during outdoor PE classes, and at lunchtime.
- Face masks will be required while students are riding the school bus to and from school.
- Physical distancing is not required as long as other mitigation measures, such as the universal wearing of face masks, are fully implemented.
- Masking indoors also greatly reduces quarantine restrictions for anyone who may be exposed to COVID-19 as long as they remain asymptomatic, reducing interruptions to in-person instruction.
- The CDPH will continue to assess COVID-19 conditions and determine no later than November 1, 2021, whether to update the indoor mask requirement.
After the new guidance was announced, the state made additional comments that created confusion about the masking requirements. The District has since clarified with state and county health officials that the indoor masking mandate is the same as last year.
One of the most important tools we have to help keep each other safe is getting vaccinated. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Vaccines are readily available and details on your nearest vaccine location can be found at COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Channels. For additional information please visit the Orange County Healthcare Agency Vaccine Resources Webpage.
Ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff, and school community has always been a top priority in the Savanna School District. As we plan for the start of the 2021-22 school year, we will continue to make every effort to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our students and staff while adhering to all state health and safety requirements. We appreciate your understanding that school districts are required to follow state mandates and are not permitted to implement less restrictive measures. We also understand that families have different viewpoints when it comes to mask mandates in schools. Those who have strong feelings on this subject should share their views with state officials.
We are proud to partner with our school community during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to provide updates on our website as further information is received from the state.
Click here for a copy of the District's COVID-19 Flow Charts
Please watch for information from your child’s teacher and school principal with more details about what you can expect.
While we can’t wait to have our students back on campus, please know that the safety of students and staff is one of our highest priorities. While this isn’t the way any of us expected to begin the school year, I know our students will continue to have strong learning opportunities through Distance Learning.
--Dr. Johnson
Reopening Schools Information Updated July 18, 2020Dear Savanna Parents,
We are working on how we can provide devices to students who will need them to participate in Distance Learning. Devices for Distance Learning will be provided on an as-needed basis with a contract parents will need to sign. While details are still being worked out, the contract will include that parents acknowledge they understand, at a minimum, the device will only be able to used for instructional programs. It can only access our instructional programs including Benchmark Universe, GoMath, Accelerated Reader, iReady and Moby Max. In addition, the devices will be filtered similar to how devices are filtered on campus; this prevents student access to inappropriate sites as well as to social media. The device will be able to be tracked and turned off if it’s being misused or reported as lost or stolen. Because this will necessitate additional planning and preparation, we’ve made the decision to move our first date of school to Monday, August 17. An updated school calendar is available by clicking here. We will continue to keep you informed as we have more information on what you can expect during Distance Learning. This is not how I expected to begin the year but I know we will make it a great year for our students because that’s what they deserve. Dr. Johnson |
Reopening Schools Information Updated July 16, 2020Dear Parents, The disruption to all of our lives caused by the COVID-19 health crisis has been profound, and we know parents are seeking clarity on the Savanna School District’s plan for re-opening our schools. We want to thank parents for their patience as we work toward clarifying our tentative plan for teaching and learning in the 2020-2021 school year. I know you need information so you'll be able to plan. With rapid changes coming from the State and local levels, we've revised our plans several times in the last few weeks. And, although we may need to make alterations, one thing is clear: we owe you the best plan we have so you can begin planning for your family's needs. First and most importantly: We are planning to reopen our schools as scheduled on August 10, 2020, with additional safeguards in place, for students and families who feel comfortable to return. In response to feedback from the recent parent survey, we will be offering two different learning programs for the 2020-2021 school year. It is important that the programs are comparable without compromising the education of our students. We anticipate providing both an in-class option as well as a virtual learning option for parents to select when registration opens. Information on each option will be sent to parents prior to registration, allowing time to review each and make a determination on which program will best fit their child’s and family’s needs. Parents will be asked to register children for one program when our student registration opens. Please be mindful that information coming from state and local authorities is changing daily; this has caused us to delay our student registration. Registration is scheduled for July 20-24; however, please keep in mind that plans may still need to be altered to meet any necessary requirements or mandates. Although this is a short registration window, we will have assistance available for those without internet access. More information will be provided on dates and times assistance will be available. Information on each Option is available below. While our school offices are closed until July 21, please feel free to reach out with questions at reopening.school2020@savsd.org. As always, our students’ education and their safety is our top priority. Dr. Johnson |
For Parents: Coronavirus (COVID-19): How to Talk to Your Child
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html
For kids: Coronavirus: What Kids Can Do?
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/coronavirus-kids.html?ref=search