We’d like to share the most recent update from our Superintendent, Dr. Francisco Escobedo:
District, Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement on Possible Return to School
Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff Members:
I am pleased to announce that we have reached a Tentative Agreement with Chula Vista Educators (CVE), which is the teachers’ bargaining unit, regarding “Working Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
This includes a possible return to “hybrid” in-person instruction in mid-to-late January —provided that all health and safety conditions are met, and San Diego County returns to the “red” level as defined in the state’s tiered system. The county is currently in the most restrictive “purple” tier. Restrictions under the “purple” tier took effect just after midnight Saturday. As part of our tentative agreement with CVE, our District can reopen to in-person instruction in a “hybrid” instructional format—meaning a limited number of students return to school in cohorts that alternate with other students who are participating in distance learning. Parents will have the option to keep their child(ren) in distance learning for the remainder of 2020-21 school year.
We are working with teachers on what the hybrid model would look like and hope to have an update about our progress soon. The earliest a hybrid model could be implemented is mid-to-late January 2021. Two-week notice will be provided to parents and staff members in advance of such a return. Even as our District waits for the region’s COVID19 rates to lower, the District will continue to fortify its safety plan and ensure all health and safety measures are in place, including enhanced ventilation in school classrooms and buildings.
With that in mind, our District will methodically expand the number of students who can return to in-person instruction, building upon the Distance Learning Support Program for families of students most in need of support. The language in the tentative agreement will allow teachers and other certificated employees to volunteer to work in person with a stable cohort of students from their class, (no more than 16 individuals in the cohort and no more than eight individuals per day)—even while the county remains in the purple tier. Teachers who volunteer to return to work in person during this period can do so as soon as agreed-upon safety measures are in place. Priority will be given to high-needs students based on the following criteria:
- Foster and Homeless Youth.
- Students with an Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan who are struggling to meet academic goals or grade-level standards.
- English Learners with an ELPAC level of one or two; or who are classified as or at risk of becoming Long-Term English Learners.
- Students who are performing significantly below grade level.
I especially want to thank parents for the incredible patience and support maintained throughout this process. I know that school closures have been an incredible strain on many households. Please know that, together with our teachers, our entire system is working collaboratively to see students back on our campuses as quickly as possible and in the safest manner possible. I wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving Break!
Warm regards,
Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D.
Superintendent
El Distrito, maestros llegan a un acuerdo tentativo sobre el POSIBLE regreso a la escuela
Apreciables padres/tutores y miembros del personal:
Me da mucho gusto anunciar que hemos llegado a un acuerdo tentativo con los Educadores de Chula Vista (CVE), la unidad de negociación de los maestros, referente a “Condiciones Laborales durante la Pandemia del COVID-19”.
Este acuerdo incluye un posible regreso a la instrucción en persona bajo el modelo “híbrido” a mediados o finales de enero – siempre y cuando se cumpla con todas las condiciones de salud y seguridad y el Condado de San Diego regrese al nivel “rojo” como se define en el sistema de niveles del estado. Actualmente el condado se encuentra en el nivel “púrpura”, el más restrictivo. Las restricciones bajo el nivel “púrpura” entraron en vigor un poco después de la media noche del sábado. Como parte de nuestro acuerdo tentativo con CVE, nuestro Distrito podrá reabrir las escuelas para la instrucción en persona bajo un formato de enseñanza “híbrida” – lo que significa que un número limitado de estudiantes regresan a la escuela en grupos que se alternan con otros estudiantes que participan en la educación a distancia. Los padres de familia tendrán la opción de mantener a sus hijos en la educación a distancia para el resto del ciclo escolar 2020-21.
Estamos trabajando con los maestros sobre cómo se verá el modelo híbrido y esperamos poder actualizarlos pronto sobre nuestro progreso. Lo más pronto que un modelo híbrido podrá ser implementado es a mediados o finales de enero del 2021. Se proporcionará una notificación a los padres de familia y miembros del personal dos semanas antes de tal regreso. Aun cuando nuestro Distrito espera que bajen las tasas de infección de COVID-19 en la región, el Distrito continuará fortaleciendo su plan de seguridad para garantizar que todas las medidas de salud y seguridad sean implementadas, incluyendo ventilación mejorada en los salones de clase e instalaciones.
Teniendo eso en mente, nuestro Distrito aumentará metódicamente el número de estudiantes que puedan regresar a la instrucción en persona, ampliando el Programa de Apoyo para la Educación a Distancia para familias de estudiantes que más necesitan el apoyo. El lenguaje en el acuerdo tentativo permite a los maestros y demás personal certificado trabajar voluntariamente en persona con un grupo establecido de estudiantes de su clase (no más de 16 individuos en el grupo y no más de ocho individuos por día) – aun cuando el condado permanezca en el nivel púrpura. Los maestros que voluntariamente regresan a trabajar en persona durante este período lo pueden hacer en cuanto las medidas de seguridad acordadas sean aplicadas. Se dará prioridad a estudiantes de alta necesidad en base al siguiente criterio:
- Jóvenes en hogares de crianza o sin hogar.
- Estudiantes con un Plan Individual de Educación o un Plan 504 que tienen dificultad para lograr sus metas académicas o estándares de nivel de grado.
- Los aprendices de inglés en nivel uno o dos del ELPAC; o quienes han sido identificados estar en riesgo de ser estudiantes de inglés a largo plazo.
- Estudiantes con un desempeño significativamente por debajo del nivel de grado.
Quiero agradecer especialmente a los padres de familia por la increíble paciencia y el apoyo durante este proceso. Sé que el cierre de escuelas ha sido una gran presión para muchos hogares. Por favor sepan qué, junto con nuestros maestros, nuestro sistema entero está trabajando colaborativamente para poder ver a los estudiantes de regreso en nuestros planteles lo más pronto y de la manera más segura posible. ¡Les deseo unas seguras y felices vacaciones de Acción de Gracias!
Afectuosamente,
Dr. Francisco Escobedo
Superintendente
Videos from CVESD
From blight to bright: A beautification project that involved Otay Elementary School, Chula Vista Police Department, the City of Chula Vista and nearby residents.
Congratulations to the more than 60 newly tenured teachers who were recognized in a “Virtual Tenure Tribute” this year because of COVID-19.
We want to share some simple reminders that will help students and their parents make the best of a challenging situation.
CVESD Safe! Testing and Tracing Program
A second round of voluntary Antibody and Viral Testing for COVID-19 began Monday, November 16 and rotates to additional regional host school sites through Friday, November 20. Nearly 900 students, parents, and staff members participated in the first round. Anyone can participate in the second round, even if they did not participate in the first round.
The voluntary testing at each of our host campuses is by appointment, but walk-ins are accepted. The antibody test consists of a light fingerprick; results as quickly as 15 minutes for those who stay around for their results. The viral test is the shallow nose swab test, not the deep into the brain type; results available within three business days. Click here to schedule an appointment.
Separately, the County’s Health and Human Services Agency operates testing locations throughout the South County. Most sites require no appointments. More information can be found at 211sandiego.org.
How COVID-19 Case Rates Factor into School Reopening Decisions
The Chula Vista Elementary School District uses the 14-day case rate number to guide decision-making in school reopening. The 14-day case rate provides the number of cases that were reported over the previous 14-day period, per 100,000 people. This metric is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its Indicators for Dynamic School Decision-Making.
About one-third of the District continues in the “red” (latest data report – October 27), which CDC identifies as having the highest risk of transmission. While in the red, the CDC recommends only limited in-person learning and services to students with the greatest needs. Our District currently provides such services to about 1,200 students in greatest need of resources through our Distance Learning Support Program. Once the District average case rate is below 200 (orange band), the District can offer the hybrid instructional model to students with the following mitigation strategies:
- Some students participate in virtual learning and other students participate in in-person learning
- Small, in-person classes, activities, and events
- Cohorting; leveraging all available safe community spaces, including outdoor spaces; alternating schedules, and staggered schedules are applied rigorously
- No mixing of groups of students (i.e., cohorts) and teachers throughout/across school days
- Students and teachers do not share objects
- Students, teachers, and staff always follow all steps to protect themselves and others, including proper use of face masks, social distancing (6-feet separation), hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette
- Regularly scheduled cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces implemented consistently
On a weekly basis, the San Diego County Office of Education provides our District with updated case rates by zip code. The report identifies schools by zip code within our District boundary area. There are zip codes in our District that are consistently in the “orange” band, as well as zip codes consistently in the “red” band. We continue working closely with the San Diego County Office of Education and the San Diego County Department of Public Health in regard to local COVID-19 transmission rates. We are partnering with community organizations to assist in lowering transmission rates across our boundary area, but especially in the 91911 and 92154 zip codes.
Although our goal of a phased return to in-person instruction was proposed for October 26, 2020, our District took extra precautions and postponed reopening because the data did not support a return at that time. Our main focus now is to continue fortifying our reopening plan, working with our bargaining groups and stakeholders, to ensure a safe reopening when conditions allow at a future date.
As our state, county and city continue their work in lowering rates, we also need all parents to support implementing health and safety guidelines in our local communities, i.e. avoid large gatherings, wear masks, following distancing and hand-washing recommendations at all times.
The San Diego County Office of Education’s 14-day case rate dashboard illustrates how CDC indicators assess COVID-19 risk at the local level—and how school implementation of key mitigation strategies can guide school reopening decisions. We invite you to view SDCOE’s narrated PowerPoint presentation below.
Building an Earthquake Resistant Structure
We invite all Allen families to attend our district’s next free weekly live event: Building an Earthquake Resistant Structure. This is this Friday at 1 pm. This free event is open to the public and appropriate for all ages!
If they were not able to join us for our last event, Something Squidywith Mrs. Quirós, and would still like to check it out, please share the following link with them: https://youtu.be/nSH9j1rlKUo
Ella B. Allen Elementary School 