August 28, 2020
Dear MPCSD Parents/Guardians,
I hope this message finds you well as we conclude the first full week of school in MPCSD. Overall, things are going smoothly and we are getting the initial bumps on the road worked out. Thank you again for your support and grace as we begin this most unusual year, together.
The School Board met last night, the tenth public meeting since June 1. They continued discussing MPCSD’s plans to gradually return some students back to campus per state guidelines. I would like to provide you a summary of where we stand now, the potential return plans I outlined to the Board, and next steps we are taking.
Local and State Updates
San Mateo County remains on the State Monitoring “watch” List for COVID-19, although our data is improving. The R-eff or R-effective rate is under “1” (indicating decreasing spread) for the second week in a row. After a spike in the rolling 14-day average of cases per 100K, numbers are now headed back down and stand at 161/100K. As a reminder, the placement on the state’s Monitoring List requires schools to remain in Distance Learning until the county is off of the Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days.
NOTE: We are aware that the Governor announced yet another new reopening framework for schools and businesses today. We will take time to determine the impacts of the change on MPCSD, but the basis of this letter remains the same.
On Thursday, August 20, the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) published its official waiver application for private, public, and charter schools in San Mateo County. An approved waiver allows schools and districts to return students in grades K-6 with specific health, safety, and testing protocols in place, even when their county is on the Monitoring List.
On Tuesday, August 25, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Governor’s Office published guidance on serving targeted, specialized cohorts. A waiver is not needed to return these students to campus even when on the Monitoring List.
Return to Campus Plans
Both options for returning students to in-person learning were discussed at last night’s Board meeting. The Board expressed support for a phased-in approach to return students for whom the risk of learning loss or lack of learning traction is greatest. Please refer to my board presentation here for details on the plans and the students they affect.
The first two phases of a return to in-person learning did not require Board approval, yet with their support, I have directed our staff to begin Phase 1 and Phase 2 as described in last night’s presentation.
Phase 1 includes students and staff whose programs are already designed to serve our highest need students and due to their unique design are ready to begin in person immediately. These include students enrolled in our moderate-severe special education program--AIMs--and a small cohort of at-risk middle school students.
Phase 2 includes students in our special education program whose IEPs include 40-50% or more of Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) and small cohorts of Level 1 and 2 English Learners who are also considered Low SES. These groups and their programs require a little more rearranging of staff and schedules to accommodate, but we believe we can get these up and running in about two weeks' time.
Since Phase 1 and 2 programs do not require a waiver to return, we are moving forward with all due haste to implement both phases.
Phase 3 groups require a formal waiver application, as well as a consultation process with parents, impacted staff, and our union partners. At last night’s Board meeting, the Board considered three main factors when agreeing that the waiver would focus on returning kindergarten and first grade students. The deciding factors included: the unique and essential nature of early learning for our youngest students, the obvious challenge of distance learning for our youngest students, and the relatively manageable number of students in the two grades, decreasing the risk of exposure. Phase 3 has NOT yet been approved and requires the completion of several more steps before it can be considered inevitable.
The Board agreed upon several additional health and safety measures that will be implemented to mitigate the risks of COVID spread including an industry-best COVID testing routine that will test all staff weekly.
Next Steps
Students in Phase 1 and Phase 2 will begin returning to campus as early as next week. If your child is included in these groups, you will be notified via the Student Services Department and/or your school site.
To be able to return students in Phase 3, the Board directed MPCSD staff to prepare a waiver application right away. Parents of kindergarteners and first graders in the Hybrid model will receive a separate email and survey about the return to campus plan. Please complete the survey as soon as you receive it.
The Board will hold a special meeting on September 3, 3:00-4:30 p.m., to hear public comment, discuss the waiver, and vote for or against the completed waiver application. (As always, you may find meeting details including the Zoom link on our district homepage under "Announcements" by 72 hours prior to the meeting.) Should the waiver be approved by the Board, the county has advised us that approval there may take up to three weeks.
MPCSD continues to monitor our county data. Should San Mateo County be removed from the Monitoring List and remain off for 14 consecutive days, the Board has made clear its intention to transition to the Hybrid Blended Learning model, for all grades K-8, as soon as is feasible. We will keep you updated as the return to campus plans unfold.
Thank you for staying informed on this ever-changing situation and for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Erik Burmeister
