July 17, 2020
Dear San Benito High School Parents, Students and Community:
Following an announcement Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom, the San Benito High School Board of Trustees has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, July 21, during which it will ratify a resolution formally approving a full distance learning approach at the start of the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 13.
Governor Newsom’s order, based on updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health, requires that all schools in counties on the California County Monitoring List, of which San Benito is one, must conduct only distance learning until the county has been off the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list for 14 consecutive days.
San Benito High School District will continue to provide regular updates regarding its reopening plans, resources and information for students and parents, as well as pertinent guidance regarding nutrition, technology and curriculum.
We will continue to work with the local health department regarding guidelines, protocols and safety features to ensure we’re doing our part as a school community.
SBHS has been planning instructional delivery and safety contingencies all summer, recently finalizing safety protocols as well as a plan for both full distance learning and hybrid (blended learning) models. In the full distance learning model, students will take two classes at a time in six-week increments, each counting as a full semester during each grading period. This schedule will allow for the school to transition from distance learning to in-person instruction when conditions allow, keeping students in cohorts. When and if in-person instruction resumes, students will continue to take two classes at a time in the hybrid (blended learning) model, which designates separate morning and afternoon groups of students (cohorts) to minimize the number of students and staff on campus at any time.
Even though San Benito High School will begin instruction in a distance learning format in August, parents are asked to fill out
the survey
indicating whether they would opt into a full remote instruction/learning model for their student when and if the hybrid, on-campus instruction takes place.
For further information about scheduling, including for students who are currently enrolled in or have applied for Long Term Independent Studies,
contact Assistant Principal Claire Grissom by phone at (831) 637-5831 ext. 129 or by email at
[email protected]
or Principal's Secretary Kaycee Day at ext. 172.
