Dear Manhattan Beach Unified School District Community,
Today’s update for the MBUSD community focuses on a number of health and safety matters happening on our campuses and in advance of a long Labor Day weekend.
As we ended school last June, restrictions were being eased and increasing rates of vaccination were promising signs for the type of 2021-22 school year we were all hoping for. While current trends may not put us where we had hoped to be, we could not be more excited to have our students back on campus, and we know they are excited to be back with their friends and teachers. Our priority is to make sure that students are able to continue to attend school in person, with a focus on regular daily instruction. At the same time, the highly contagious Delta variant has meant it is more important than ever to engage in a number of important individual and shared actions to limit the spread of COVID.
There are steps we can all take to help create safe campus environments for our students and staff: being aware of your surroundings, limiting your time in crowds, engaging in physical distancing, washing or sanitizing your hands frequently, and using good cough etiquette. Completing your student’s daily RUVNA questionnaire, engaging in regular diagnostic testing, obtaining a COVID-19 vaccination when eligible, and wearing a mask indoors and outdoors on our school campuses are four very important practices we can all take. This is particularly important following a recent outbreak of COVID-19 at Pacific Elementary School.
Pacific Elementary
Over the last week, Pacific was notified of nine (9) confirmed positive COVID cases. Close contacts* of these positive cases were identified and instructed to quarantine and get tested per the LACDPH Decision Pathways. Given the number of positive cases and close contacts among our fifth grade classrooms, because fifth grade students had been interacting without masks outdoors during lunch and recess, and because COVID vaccinations are not yet available for students younger than twelve years old, out of an abundance of caution, MBUSD placed Pacific’s three fifth grade classrooms on quarantine. (*Close contacts are individuals who have been within six (6) feet of a positive case for an accumulation of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period.)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) was contacted for guidance, and the LACDPH investigative team confirmed a COVID-19 “outbreak” and supported our decision making process. Along with this determination, they issued a Health Officer Order specific to this situation.
This Order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Health Officer. In compliance with this Order, we are immediately implementing the following protocols:
- Posting additional signage around the facility to reinforce frequent hand washing, covering a cough, and maintaining social distancing.
- Providing public notification regarding possible COVID-19 exposure by posting signage at the front entrance near the main office.
- Continuing to prohibit visitors from entering the site.
-
Requiring all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask over both their nose and mouth at all times when on campus, both indoors and outdoors, unless they are able to maintain 6 feet physical distance from all others at all times..
Please note that as a result of LACDPH’s recommendations about masking at Pacific Elementary, the District has made a determination that, effective Wednesday, September 6, it will require all students and staff to wear masks indoors and outdoors at all times when on any District campus or District facility, except to remove them momentarily when eating or drinking, unless they are able to maintain six (6) feet physical distance from all others.
We will continue to monitor weekly the fluid nature of the Delta variant in our community and reassess this short-term protocol and the impact of the Labor Day holiday on our schools as part of our safety efforts and focus on ensuring daily in-person instruction.
Student and Staff Vaccination and Testing
On August 11, 2021, CDPH issued a State Public Health Officer Order requiring that all schools verify the vaccination status of all workers and that all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated workers be tested at least once per week, beginning no later than October 15, 2021.
Prior to the start of school, MBUSD required all employees to submit evidence of a negative COVID-19 test. Employees were offered two opportunities to test on site within the District, and they had the option to test at an alternative facility of their choice. MBUSD’s testing programs yielded a 0.5% positive test result rate, and almost all employees were able to start the school year as planned.
In addition, MBUSD has begun the process of verifying the vaccination status of its workers. Those who are unvaccinated (including those who are partially vaccinated) and those who decline to disclose their vaccination status will be required to submit to weekly COVID testing. Testing will be offered on site within the District, with the help of Beach Cities Health District. We anticipate that this testing program will begin before the end of September.
On September 1, 2021, LACDPH’s Protocol for Organized Youth Sports (including school athletics programs) went into effect. This protocol requires weekly testing for all unvaccinated coaches and athletes participating in indoor moderate or high risk sports, as well as for all unvaccinated coaches and athletes over the age of 12 participating in outdoor moderate or high risk sports.
Again with the help of Beach Cities Health District, we are offering weekly on-site testing to meet this requirement. We will be gathering information about the vaccination status of our athletes, as well as all of our students over 12 years of age, in the coming days so that we can both meet these testing requirements and more effectively manage our contact tracing efforts.
We are grateful that, beginning late next week, Beach Cities Health District will be able to offer referral-based testing for MBUSD staff and students with symptoms or who have been close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
These testing programs will be important in helping to limit the spread of the virus, and we encourage families to consider establishing a regular cadence for testing as individuals as well. However, the most important tool in fighting the pandemic remains vaccination, and we continue to ask that all individuals in our community get vaccinated when they are able to do so.
We are in regular contact with our public health partners and are carefully monitoring local conditions. Please watch for more information on COVID and related health and safety matters that will be shared with you soon on the MBUSD Reopening our Schools: 2021-22 webpage. You will find here the most current guidance on County guidance related to schools, and our COVID-19 2021-22 Dashboard, which is updated each school day.
We have received a variety of back-to-school and COVID-related questions. I want to be sure everyone knows about our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document which we will continue to update. As a District, we are focused on the core functions of schooling as we start the school year with full in-person learning. Please forward questions you may still have to covidconcerns@mbusd.org.
Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day weekend is a time when family and community have an extra day to be together, and in MBUSD we not only observe Labor Day on September 6, we will also take a day off on September 7. With the many community activities, sports, carpools, birthday parties and other events taking place that make Manhattan Beach such a great community, please consider the different individual and shared actions we can all implement to help ensure that our students can come to school in person each and every school day.
I wish you all a fun, relaxing and safe Labor Day weekend.
