Town Hall Meeting

No content available.

[8] SPEAKER_05: Good evening. Welcome, I see many people coming in. Welcome, welcome. We're gonna give it a minute or two for everyone to come on in. Welcome to our February virtual town hall on reopening. Good evening, good evening. Welcome. All right. We're going to give it 30 seconds more, and then we'll get started. Welcome, everybody. All right, well, it looks like we've hit over 350 people and it's 7.03, so I think we should get started. Does that sound good, Mr. Dulowicz? Sounds great. All right. Welcome again, everyone. My name is Mark Triplett. I am the superintendent for Newark Unified. Thank you for joining us this evening. We're really happy that you're joining. This is our virtual town hall meeting. in February regarding reopening of school and reopening plans. So we're going to be sharing with you information tonight and giving you a chance to weigh in. We're going to do a little bit of polling and also I'll walk you through a form that we're going to ask you all to fill out in the next two weeks. And we're also going to talk through schedules and other things. What we will not do tonight is we will we do not yet have a date for reopening. So just want to be clear right off the bat. This is tonight. We're not announcing any date for reopening in person learning, but we do have lots of information to share with you. And then again, we want to get your input. Mr. Dulwich, can we go to the next slide? So tonight's agenda, we're going to talk a little bit about vaccinations, give you an update there, discuss the safety priorities that we are holding dear for in-person return. Like I said, we're going to go through what we're calling the NUSD commitment form. That's a form that we're going to ask you to fill out in these next two weeks. We're going to do some polling, get your input right now. Then we'll also talk about health screening and safety measures. We'll look at some of the school schedule options in phase one. And then, of course, we want to allow a significant amount of time for questions that you may have. And then, of course, if there's any questions that we cannot answer, we'll also plan on taking those back and getting the answers for you and returning with more information the next time. So we're gonna jump right in here. First of all, just wanted to give you a vaccination update. I know that everyone has been hearing a lot in the news, lots of information. We are currently in phase 1B in Alameda County. And what that means is that is the phase of vaccinations that where educators and childcare workers are eligible to get the vaccination. There's 325,000 people that are eligible in Phase 1B in Alameda County. Of those, 60,000 is the estimated number of educators and child care workers. And so we know that many of our educators are already making appointments, have gotten their first vaccination, which is really, really fantastic. And at the same time, just want to caution everybody, just let everybody know that this is going to require patience. There are currently 10,000 to 15,000 doses being administered every week in Alameda County. And as you heard me say, the total number of people in phase 1B, we can all do the math and know that There are not currently sufficient vaccinations for everyone that needs it in 1B. So it's going to take a little time. And this is part of the role of our federal government, FEMA, the county itself, our health care providers throughout the county, everyone working to support this effort. Our educators and anyone, in fact, should log on to myturn.ca.gov. to make an appointment, register to get vaccinated. And if you are in 1B, then you are eligible at this point to actually get an appointment. This is a little quote from President of the Alameda County Office of Education, President, sorry, President of Board of Education. It's more than people being able to receive a vaccine. This is a shot of hope. So I know this is long awaited. People are very eager to be vaccinated. And hopefully this is a very, very important step in returning to some degree of normalcy. So jumping in here for a minute about the priorities that we have for in-person return to in-person learning, really three fundamental things that we're focused on. One is, of course, our staff and students' safety. and making sure everything is in place to ensure the safety of our staff and students. Two, is we want to get data from the commitment form that I've referenced that Mr. Dolowich will talk about more later, so that we have the information about your what is your interest or ability to have your child return to in-person learning, to hybrid. And then lastly, we are focused on making sure that we get our agreements with our labor partners because that's critical in order for us to move forward to any stage of reopening. So just a real quick articulation of where we've been and where we're going. So these are the staggered stages for elementary return. Stage one is where we currently, well, we're actually in between stage one and stage two right now. Stage one is distance learning. So that's all of our students at home on Zoom or Google Meets. learning over the computer. And I know that's been very challenging. We wanna appreciate our teachers and all our educators who have been doing incredible work to support our young people during this stage one. Stage two is staggered return based on county guidelines of targeted groups to in-person learning. And we currently do have some learning hubs operating at some of our schools. These are very small groups of students that are now in person. They are still logging on to the Zoom or Google Meets for synchronous instruction online. However, they're doing it in person in our school sites. And then stage three, which we'll talk about tonight, is when we reopen. And stage three will be a one cohort or one group of students that will be in person, while another cohort, cohort B, will remain in distance learning based on family preference. So that's going to begin in elementary grades per county guidelines, and then we'll go from there. So Mr. Dolowitz is going to talk now a little bit about the commitment form that we are going to ask of you to fill out. If you recall, in November, we had a survey of families to really find out how families felt about returning to in-person and what comfort level they had. Were they able to, based on their family situations, have their child return to a level of in-person learning? And at that point, We had more than 60% on average of our families that completed the survey said that they actually were not yet comfortable returning to in-person learning, that they really felt like at that point in the game that they really wanted to remain in distance learning for health reasons, for safety, for whatever. And then shortly thereafter, if you recall, the county and then the state really moved into the purple tier again. And because of that, with the shelter in place that returned, we had to postpone any further actions in terms of reopening. But now, things are looking much, much better. Cases are reducing. And so for that reason, we're coming back to you and re-engaging and really want to get your input on your interest in returning to in-person learning. Mr. Dulowich?

[629] SPEAKER_06: All right, thank you, Dr. Triplett. So just to be clear, the title of this form is a commitment form for our families and students, and you'll notice the difference right away versus a survey. And I'll talk more about that momentarily. Also for our staff, we do intend on a separate staff form so that we can capture how staff are feeling with respect to returning during the spring of the 2021 school year. I want to be very clear for our families and there's also a Spanish version for the commitment form. There are two options in person. When conditions allow and we have our agreements with our late labor partners and I'll speak more about that shortly in person would include a cohort a specifically Where students come on campus for in person instruction that includes students wearing masks, as well as staff that includes all of the health and hygiene protocols. that are advised per the CDC, as well as county and state guidelines. I do want to also emphasize that our comprehensive reopening plan can be found on our district website and can also be located on each and every one of our school websites, which detail appropriate safety protocols and measures. And of course, we will adhere to appropriate six feet social distancing, and that will include everything from transitioning from the parking lot into classroom, remaining in stable cohorts at the elementary level, transitioning, whether it's to the bathroom or recess, and again, the transition back to the parking lot before lunch to get picked up for the school day. Distance learning instruction are students and families that simply do not feel comfortable returning in the spring for a myriad number of reasons, whether they live with someone, that they want to protect, whether that's due to a family's work schedule, whatever that is, we want to respect that and provide an option for students and families that wish to remain with NUSD but not return to in-person. So at this time, and you can see the Spanish translation of the slide I just detailed, I am going to switch slides And you may have seen it, but before you is the NUSD family reopening commitment form. So we're going to take a few minutes and we are going to walk through it. It's available in both English and Spanish. And so currently we are in the purple tier. But we are fast making progress both as a county and also as a community in Newark towards the red tier, which we were in in the winter of 2020. And so in anticipation of returning to the red and eventually the orange, we want to be proactive in sending out this reopening commitment form. Again, this is for families and students. There will be a separate form for staff. And essentially, we are going to make plans based on two critical factors. One, student enrollment with respect to the number of students and families that wish to receive in-person instruction this spring. And two, staffing concerns and staffing data. So therefore, this is not a survey. Your response will be binding for the remainder of the year so that we can receive accurate data And for this reason, we are extending the window for over a week until Friday, March 5 at 3pm. And so as we continue to go down, there are a few essential points to highlight, and then we'll continue on. One, if you are a family. parent or guardian with multiple students in Newark Unified, we are requesting that you fill out a separate form for each student in your household. This will allow us to identify each student's commitment. And we know some families may wish to proceed with differing commitments based on their home situation for respective children in their household. So again, please fill out a commitment form for each student in your household. As I detailed previously, you'll see that there are two clear options. One, when conditions allow, and Dr. Triplett and I will outline the criteria upcoming. but that includes an agreement with our labor partners, as well as being in the red tier for at least two weeks. Of course, as I said, we are in the purple, fast progressing towards the red. And so one option is for a student to select with their family's permission, in-person classroom instruction. And again, we are talking about the spring of this academic year. And the other option, if a family and student does not feel comfortable, is to remain enrolled with Newark Unified and remain in distance learning where students remain remote with online instruction continuing. And so the next section, section 2, simply asks for parents to fill out student information. That includes a child's name, the current grade level, TK through 12, And finally, the current school of attendance. And so, again, we ask that you fill out one form for each child in your household, and that is Section 2. Section 3 details your two options. In-person, hybrid in-person refers to Cohort A, and Cohort B, refers to a distance learning instruction only as I discussed. A few specific factors as the county and state recommend, we would be taking a staggered approach and that very likely would look like TK through grades two in week one, grades three through five in week two, and so on and so forth in a staggered fashion to make sure that all of the safety protocols and measures are in place and being adhered to effectively. Fewer students for cohort A, if you select for your child to come back in person, obviously cohort B students would not step foot on campus at any point in time. Cohort B continues to receive synchronous instruction online as we are currently doing right now. And it should be noted, and I'll discuss this in more detail, that students, it is a possibility that if you return in person that you may not be assigned to your current teacher. And the reason for this is it is contingent on enrollment numbers. Again, knowing how many students at which grade level in a respective school are set to return based on the commitment form. And of course, at this time, we do not have that data until March 5th. And then secondly, of course, supporting our staffing and making sure that our staff is supported and safe and that we match the number of teachers for in-person instruction with students. As I mentioned earlier, this is a staggered approach. And so secondary follows a similar situation. It should be noted that this schedule reflects Newark Memorial High School as the Newark Junior High School adheres to a different flow with their class periods, specifically one through six. This details cohort A, one, three, five, two, four, six, 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, 6, Tuesday through Friday. Again, cohort A is equal to selecting hybrid in-person. Cohort B are students and families that wish to remain distance learning. Otherwise, they are very similarly aligned in order to continue what we've done as a district with respect to Mondays providing synchronous instruction and allowing teachers opportunities for staff meetings, professional development and specific grade level meetings and IEPs. So you can see some continuity there as we continue and we plan that last summer. Ultimately, your choice is straightforward below both schedules. Either you choose the option of hybrid in-person instruction when conditions allow. And again, we'll go into the details. Or distance learning, which would be cohort B. And so we want to be very clear that you're agreeing to terms for the remainder of the school year. That's very important, again, as this is a form, not a survey. And as we continue through, we also wanted to receive candid input with respect to your reasons why. So if you selected the hybrid model, is that due to the need for socialization or students' mental health, for instance? I would select that as a parent of a sixth grader in my district, for example. Distance learning has been challenging for my child, or it could be a parent's work schedule or other, and you can fill it in. We do want to compile that data. Likewise, if you select distance learning, then perhaps you're doing so for a number of reasons, including but not limited to health and safety, child's doing well with distance learning, you're waiting for the full vaccination rollout, etc. You can fill that in. And then ultimately, we want to thank you for your ongoing commitment, we know these are very challenging unique times, we know this is parents, and we know this is district leaders. So I did want to take time to walk that through because there will be a polling question and a q amp a at the end. I am going to switch back to our presentation. And you can see. Very clearly that the elementary schedule remains exactly as I detailed and similar to what we have in place with respect to Monday alignment. You can see that the difference and the choice for you as a family and student is cohort a. in-person instruction and you would return home prior to lunch, you would receive four days of consecutive instruction on campus. That's cohort A. Cohort B would remain synchronous throughout and you would receive live synchronous instruction specifically in the afternoon from a teacher after lunch. Secondary, you can see the alignment as well. And so I do want to be cognizant of time and allow opportunities for questions and Q&A at the end. But at this time, I'm going to pause. I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Gutierrez and Dr. Triplett to read aloud the following community input polling question.

[1324] SPEAKER_05: All right. Thank you, Mr. Dalowich. So what we'd like to do now is this is just a temperature check. No one's going to be held to this. But based on what you've heard thus far and what your understanding is of reopening, we have one question for you. Given recent developments, in our current circumstance, would you send your child back this spring, or would you choose to stay in distance learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year? So first selection is return hybrid in person at some point in the spring when all criteria are met, and two, stay in distance learning for the remainder of the 2021 school year. So if you can go ahead and place your vote. Apologize that folks who are tuning in on YouTube, unfortunately the polling only works on Zoom, but we'll see how things go here. Ms. Gutierrez, do we have the polling up and running now?

[1387] Aiden Hill: Great.

[1388] SPEAKER_24: Yes, the question is available for everybody to start. polling, we could wait probably another minute to allow people to answer.

[1395] SPEAKER_05: Great. Thank you.

[1399] SPEAKER_06: And again, it deserves reiterating, this is an informal poll, so you will not be held. Like Dr. Triplett mentioned, this is simply a temperature check. But of course, the commitment form is binding.

[1429] SPEAKER_24: Let me show results.

[1431] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, let's go ahead and see. All right, so it looks like 48% of those polled, which is 189 people, said they at this point, well, would like to return to hybrid in-person at some point in spring when all criteria are met. And 52% or 202 people said at this point they'd really want to stay in distance learning for the remainder of the 2021 school year. All right, thank you. So that's, that's really helpful just to get a sense of where people are at, just on this call. What we'd like to do is through the commitment form is really get a get a gauge of as many families as possible. And really, the reason for this, again, just to reiterate, is that this is how we can then start to determine what is feasible, viable, in terms of staffing in person versus distance learning. So we really need the information in order to be able to move forward with plans. Can we go to the next slide, please, Mr. Dulwich? Great, so wanted to talk real quick about the criteria for reopening at this point and what our timeline is. So there's a number of things that need to happen in order for us to be able to reopen. One is that we need to be into the red tier or orange tier for two weeks. And as you know, we are technically still in the purple tier, unless that changed today while I was at work. And so that we have not yet gotten to that space. The second one is that we need to submit a reopening plan to the Alameda County Office of Education and the County Public Health Department, which we have done. And we got that plan approved. So at last time I checked, there was out of the 18 districts in Alameda County, 14 had submitted their reopening plans and been approved, and we are one of them. I did see a number of questions. We are going to get to the questions in the chat, but a number of questions about wanting to really understand all of the details around our reopening. So I want to encourage families to go to the reopening plan. We have it translated in English, translated in Spanish. It's posted on our website. It's posted on all of the school's websites. And it outlines all of the plans that we have for how we would open in a safe and healthy way. The next thing on here is the COVID-19 safety plan. So this is a new added component that the state has required. And essentially, if you already have a reopening plan approved, then you need to complete one more step and then post it on your website. So we're in the process of finalizing that. It does not require additional approval because we already have been approved for our reopening plan, but we will be posting that COVID-19 safety plan on our website within the next week. The next step that is required is to have agreements with our labor partners. We do currently have an agreement with our classified staff, and so you see a check there, and with our certificated staff, our teachers, we are with them working to iron out all the details. So that's pending, but we're very optimistic that we're going to come to an agreement there as well. And then lastly, there's a requirement for us to modify our what's called Injury Illness and Prevention Plan, the IIPP. That's a plan that is required by the state of every school every year and every district rather. And so we already have an IIPP, but we had to modify it to meet the current conditions with the COVID virus. And so we have done that. So Mr. Dolowitz, do you wanna go ahead and speak a little bit about some of the steps we've already taken? It's maybe a little bit more detail than what I just provided in terms of what's in our safety plan, our reopening plan rather, and the things that we have already worked through.

[1700] SPEAKER_06: Absolutely. So it should be noted for our families that we will have a comprehensive, very accessible plan for students in cohort A for in-person return. That starts at the home front before school, parents and guardians completing a home health screening and survey with their students. And then also, as I mentioned, TK through two to begin with would receive staggered arrival times in order to minimize gatherings and maintain over six feet of distancing with clear pathways cones and arrows in order to go from point A in the parking lot to point B in the classrooms. Classrooms would receive the appropriate modifications to ensure that the students as well as the teacher are in fact six feet or more apart and that would include a stable location on campus for recess for students to be outside as well as individual support for safety measures to go from the classroom to the bathroom, et cetera. It would not include going into the cafeteria for lunch during phase one as students in cohort A would leave prior to lunch. It does include the standard reporting of absences as schools will continue to monitor student absences. And it also includes no touch thermometers on site. both for students and staff. So those comprehensive protocols would be in place per county and state guidelines. And that would include, of course, before school, as mentioned here, but also during the day upon dismissal as well. With respect to cleaning protocols are classified staff do an excellent job of daily cleaning so that's each and every day and disinfecting all of the spaces with the appropriate sanitizing materials. And, as well as fogger equipment, which is the recommended format. for classes, office spaces, and buildings to be disinfected appropriately with respect to all viruses, not just COVID. So in some ways, this improves our health and safety measures substantially. And so we are excited to implement this. We're doing so now in preparation, but also on a daily basis, again, once we return to in-person for cohort A students. Dr. Triplett, I'll turn it over to you for COVID testing. Oh, I think you're on mute.

[1873] SPEAKER_05: There we go. Thank you. Thank you. And I was actually just responding to this question in the Q&A. So question being, will teachers and other educators be tested on a regular basis? And the answer is yes. So we have a contract with Curative, which is a COVID testing company that many districts throughout the state are working with, and Alameda County has supported us to procure this contract. And this provides testing of all staff at regular intervals. It's free to them. This is a self-administered test. It's not the nasal test. It's an oral fluid swab test. And the results are provided within 48 hours. And so that'll be available to all our staff. We've talked about this prior, but I just wanted to reiterate that ever since the start of school in August, we've had plexiglass barriers that are up in all our schools, in our offices, in our district office as well, and throughout all public spaces. So we really appreciate our MOT department, our custodians and others who have, and facilities that have did this very early on, worked very hard, and all of that is in place to protect both staff and public. And then we, of course, will be being very strict about the daily health and safety protocols. So while students are at school, they will be required to have their face covered. We'll have frequent hand sanitization, PPE. We do have PPE available for students and staff. And of course, we also ask that when possible, that families provide PPE for their child. We'll be practicing social distancing. We already have all marked out in the schools the appropriate distances in different spaces, and that'll be really important. And we've also already modified our classrooms so that desks are spread out in an appropriate distance. And then we definitely are holding to shared space safety considerations, so making sure that all of the shared spaces that we're following the proper protocols to make sure that students and adults are following and being socially distanced appropriately.

[2050] Leonor Rebosura: All right.

[2051] SPEAKER_06: Yeah, jump on in. One thing I wanted to reiterate, I thought Dr. Triplett mentioned it, is we do understand also from a parent's point of view, as well as a staff member, that if you have a unique classroom configuration, that classroom will receive the appropriate modifications. adhering to the guidelines of the appropriate six feet distance, as well as making sure that everything is sanitized and that the proper protocols are in place so that we will make the modifications as appropriate to the size of the classroom. Attendance will be taken daily. And then the schedules, and you saw the iterations of phase one for both elementary and secondary here tonight. Monday remains synchronous. And in that model, teachers do provide instruction for all students. It is remote as it currently is now. And there is dedicated time for professional development, staff meetings, grade level or department meetings, etc. So Mondays are consistent. And so parents and guardians can plan accordingly. Then Cohort A, the option to reiterate again is four consecutive days of in-person hybrid learning a week, Tuesday through Friday, and that is in the AM. For Cohort B, synchronous learning continues, and that is live in the afternoon. And distance learning, of course, with Monday included, is five days a week. So we do want to just be very clear and wanted to really make the extra step of detailing what the options are. Because as we stated, this is a binding commitment form as we gather concrete data to make informed decisions for the safety and well-being of our students and our staff. Before we open it up to a Q&A, I'm going to pivot and I'm going to apologize live to Coach K. I cannot do as good a job as she did at our board presentation last Thursday. But from her slide, a few main points to reiterate, which is essentially that NCS, North Coast Section, and Mission Valley Athletic League have allowed for local decision making to be made. And so based off that, they've approved the following calendar for athletics based on the color tier categories. And we do apologize for the small font. There's a lot of information. But the key at the very bottom, the final three bullets, to outline include that March 1st to April 16th would include cross-country, swimming, boys tennis, and girls golf. Season two outlined April 19th to June 12th of this year will include track, golf, baseball, softball, girls' tennis, boys' golf. And then finally, as we proceed, orange and yellow sports will continue to be monitored and added appropriately. It should be mentioned from our weekly updates at the county and state level that we are optimistic in terms of the progress that we are gearing towards. And we absolutely understand both from, again, a parent guardian perspective and a student perspective that there is a very real interest into returning to in-person when conditions are safe to do so. And finally, from athletics, just want to reiterate that the workouts do include mandatory daily screening. Voluntary workouts, it should be noted, started back in September with fall sports. Those are football and volleyball. water polo and cross country, and then they've been phased in some spring sport sports, starting in October, and it's, this is definitely worth applause not all districts and their athletic departments are doing so. but over 230 student athletes are participating in on-campus athletics and workouts. And they're doing so in a safe manner without increased cases. And it really takes a village. So there are a number of individuals. I won't shout them out here. I did so in my district newsletter last week. But a number of people, you are the reason Our student athletes and 230 of them are participating. So thank you for that. So I'm sure you've heard us talk enough so momentarily we are going to respond to your questions, but we really did want to do a few things. be as transparent as possible in outlining the proactive measures that we've taken as a district and continue to do so on a daily basis. Be very clear around the commitment form, which is due at 3pm on March 5. We extended that deadline. and wanted to provide over a week so that parents and guardians can have questions answered. As promised here, there will be a separate staff survey regarding reopening. And as I mentioned, both enrollment and staffing will be critical data factors in terms of our decisions moving forward. We will then make a final determination regarding the phased approach. And I mentioned that differentiated approach with TK2 and then grade 3 through 5. We continue, as Dr. Triplett mentioned, we received agreement with our CSCA partners, very appreciative of that, and we will continue to work diligently towards an agreement with our certificated NTA labor partners. We do want their feedback. We continue to explore all feasible options. And then our commitment here tonight with the appropriate data is to return to a town hall meeting on March 9th, 7 to 8 p.m. And part of that will be next steps, including but not limited to the data that we received differentiated from an elementary and secondary standpoint. So at this time, We are going to pause, and we did strategically try to maximize over 15 minutes for an opportunity to respond to your questions and concerns. And so I'll turn it back over, and then we will do our best to answer them here tonight.

[2469] SPEAKER_05: Thank you, Mr. Dalowich. All right, so. Hopefully that answered some of your questions. I'm sure you have additional questions and we have many in the chat. So what we're gonna do now is we're gonna try to go through, Ms. Gutierrez has been monitoring the Q&A and I've been trying to answer as many as I could as we've been presenting. So Ms. Gutierrez, can you identify, can you take us through some of the questions and Mr. Dolowich and myself will try our best us to answer, and any that you see patterns, it would be helpful if you could lift up those. Oh, sorry, and families, we may not have all the answers, so if there's a question that we don't have the answers to, we commit to looking into that and coming back to you with a response by March 9th.

[2527] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Dr. Triplett. I will start off with one of the most popular questions, which is regarding students being able to keep their current teachers, whether they pick distance learning, whether they pick live. But what is it going to look like whether the students will be able to keep their current teacher?

[2544] SPEAKER_05: Thank you. Yeah, I noticed that as well. So this is a challenge, and we just want to be totally transparent and honest. We cannot guarantee, as we move to this next phase, we cannot guarantee that students will get to keep their same teacher. It is our goal for that to happen. minimize the number of students that have to switch teachers. However, it's just a mathematical equation. If not all teachers return, for example, if some need to stay in distance learning, then that would mean that that would necessitate that some students would not be able to keep their teacher. And then likewise, it could be the opposite as well. So that just because a student or family wants to keep their child in distance learning, it might not necessarily equal out to being guaranteed to have the same teacher in that setting. can I just say one more thing there, Mr. Dolowich? I think, I know that's really hard. And again, we wanna minimize it. I think the only way that we can be sure that everyone will keep the teacher, their current teacher, is if everyone stayed in distance learning right now. So I just wanna put that out there that that's just in terms of mathematics, that would be the only way that we could guarantee that everyone would keep their current teacher.

[2644] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Dr. Triplett. We did have some questions regarding high school students and whether they would still be AP classes available, sports available, performing arts, and ROP-related questions.

[2660] SPEAKER_05: All right. Mr. Elwich, feel free to chime in. But yes, according to the schedule, and this is an additional question that I saw in the Q&A, the schedule does account for a period. So that's one thing that came up. Athletics would continue if we went to a hybrid model. So those are occurring after school hours. And so that would continue in the same way that we have been doing it. And then the same for any of our activities that have already started back up, those would continue. And then that also includes our VAPA, for example, and other different classes. The idea would be those would be in person just like other classes are in person. Mr. Delawitch, did you want to add anything to that?

[2718] SPEAKER_06: So just a few things. Coach K will be receiving a county update regarding athletics tomorrow. That will include starting up football, water polo, and soccer as well. And then we detailed the update with athletics and we can make this deck available as well from tonight's town hall. The answer is yes to AP. We are in coordination with Newark Memorial High School administration regarding testing AP courses in May. Currently that's a go. And so we need to take the appropriate measures for socially distancing with respect to AP courses. And VAPA, I heard, yes, our intent is to maintain the student's six period day. And so what that necessitates, and again, it's contingent on a staggered approach and agreement with our labored partners is that students would transition throughout the course, adhering to the cohort A phase one schedule that we detailed here tonight.

[2790] SPEAKER_24: There are other questions regarding programs such as summer school, preschool and childcare.

[2798] SPEAKER_05: Wonderful. So let's start with the first one last. So child care, once we have been in the red tier for two weeks, we intend to start back up child care. And we already have the agreement with our classified staff to be able to begin that. So we're partnering with them. But we want to make sure that we are in the red tier and that then we are able to give families two weeks notice that it will be starting up, families and staff. that we'll be starting that in two weeks. Sorry, Ms. Gutierrez, what was the other?

[2832] SPEAKER_24: Summer school and preschool.

[2834] SPEAKER_05: Right. So we currently are operating our Cadango preschools at multiple sites, but the preschool, our district preschool would be starting at the same time that we started our other hybrid situations. And then summer learning. That is something that we are definitely taking steps to plan for, because we know that, unfortunately, that there are some that have are really going to need some additional support in the summer, so Conditions pending, of course, our intent is to have a really robust summer program so that we can ensure that students who need additional support to get back up to speed have that opportunity.

[2889] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Dr. Triplett. There was a question regarding schools in other counties and those schools already returning to in-person as compared to Alameda County, if you can explain the difference between counties.

[2902] SPEAKER_05: Sure. So we do have to abide by the county guidelines and we can't make any steps that are outside of that. And so you may have read reports in the news about other schools and other districts that have opened up. That may be the case, but we have to abide by the criteria that we've outlined tonight. And you also may have read in the news about schools, schools are reopening in such and such a city. I see those headlines and I always then read the article. And what I find is, as you dig down into it, many of them are actually not reopening yet. So it's sort of like you can't be fooled by the headline, but some of them are referring to learning hubs, which we have also started. And some of them are referring to agreements, but that are predicated on certain things like vaccinations or time, for example, some agreements of starting up in April or later. So there may be some schools that are already in person, but in Alameda County, we are not in a position to do a full reopening until all of those conditions that we've outlined are met.

[2983] SPEAKER_06: That's correct. If I could just add on to it to honor that question. In San Mateo County, for example, we have colleagues in Palo Alto Unified and Palo Alto Unified has in fact returned to in-person in a hybrid situation. As Dr. Triplett mentioned, we're currently still in the purple tier, and by definition, from state and county guidelines, we need to be in the red tier for two successive weeks. And so we are not there yet. The other checklist item that Dr. Triplett detailed here today is besides the reopening plan, which can be found on our website, and it is comprehensive for a reopening plan in both English and Spanish, as well as on all of our school websites, we need agreement with our labor partners. And fortunately, we do have agreement with CSCA, and we are currently working very hard, as well as so are our labor partners, with our certificated union to reach agreement. And we do need that in place in order for an in-person to happen within Newark. So our reopening is contingent on that agreement.

[3060] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Ms. Zalewicz and Dr. Triplett. There are a few other questions for the high school students. And I think there's some additional clarity regarding classes such as AP or if it's a government class or very specific class. Though they may not have the same teacher, will they still continue within the same class or course?

[3081] SPEAKER_05: Yes, that's correct. That's the intention.

[3087] SPEAKER_24: Thank you, Dr. Triplett. And there were a few questions regarding missing the deadline to fill this form. If they cannot fill the form out by the required deadline, is there going to be additional time or will school be contacting them? What is that process going to look like?

[3107] SPEAKER_05: Okay, thank you. Yeah, so we did try to do our best to create as big a window as possible while also wanting to definitely continue to make preparations and plans moving forward. So we've given approximately two weeks for folks to complete this form. And as you saw when Mr. Dolowich presented it, it's very few questions. I completely understand that some people may have the feeling of, well, I'm not sure yet. and so I really encourage everyone before they complete the form if they're not sure that they go back and review the reopening plans that were approved by the county for us and that can be found on the website because that really dives into the details and the specifics of how we have prepared and what is the plan for reopening, all of the safety protocols and all of that. So if there's any concerns or doubts that families have, and I completely understand why there would be, then please go and look at those plans first before completing the form. But we do ask that everybody that can to please complete the form before March 5th or by March 5th. Because that will really help us to help you. So that will help us to be able to then really get a clear idea of how many families are eager to return, how many families are not. And that will help us to then start building the plans with our teachers and our staff around doing a really safe and coordinated return. And could I just say, sorry, Mr. Gutierrez, but could I just say, I think I've repeated it many times, but it bears repeating. I'm sure, and we saw it in the poll, that there are many families who are eager to return, and there are many families that do not feel comfortable yet. And both of those are okay. And we want to support both of those situations. And so that's why we have created the plans that we have is because we want to make sure that we have options for families who are not yet ready and who do not feel like it's appropriate yet to return to in-person learning. And we want to have options for those families who very, very much are eager and concerned that we haven't reopened yet and that really want the reopening to happen as soon as possible. So we are trying hard to meet everybody's needs and I know that it's oftentimes that can leave everybody frustrated but it's really important that we create options for both those types of families.

[3284] SPEAKER_24: Thank you Dr. Triplett. There are some questions regarding what next year might look like and if we have any idea whether it would be distance learning in person or any idea what the following school year would look like.

[3297] SPEAKER_05: Thank you. Yeah, it is very hard to know at this point. I'm in weekly communication with both our county Department of Education. All of the other superintendents in our in our county and then probably more importantly with our health department and they they do not. They're not able to predict exactly how things will look in the fall. And from that, because of that, we are definitely needing to be making plans for lots of different eventualities or possibilities. I'm hopeful that we will have some degree of in-person learning in the fall, particularly given the speed that the vaccination is coming out, and also the progress that we're having in combating the virus itself. And so I'm hopeful, but there is no guarantee.

[3358] SPEAKER_24: There was a question regarding elementary students starting prior to secondary students and the reasoning.

[3366] SPEAKER_05: Thank you. Mr. Dulwich, I've taken up a lot of air time. Do you want to answer that or you want me to go ahead?

[3371] SPEAKER_06: Sure. I'll start. Feel free to fill in. That is recommended at both the county and state level. One is, as we know, the younger children are less likely with respect to to carry COVID as well as show or Pass that on and it you know it's a it's safer with our young ones. It's also recommended from a reopening perspective to have TK through to first so that we can ensure that all of the safety protocols are being adhered to and the protocols are being implemented. And so it allows us to make sure that we are following the comprehensive safety plan 100% and then stagger in three through five and so on and so forth after that. And I'll turn it over to Dr. Triplett to add anything else.

[3425] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think those are really good points, Mr. Dalla, which I would just add that, as we know, in the lower grades, we're able to maintain stable cohorts. And that is less easy in the secondary, where students, just by nature of the structure of school, go from class to class, and that every class period is with different students. And so therefore, the county and the state and the country really have really been recommending that starting with the elementary grades because of that ability to maintain those stable, sheltered cohorts of small groups of students.

[3468] SPEAKER_24: I'm looking at the time. I think this will be the last question, but there are some questions regarding when will the community get feedback regarding the responses for the commitment forms? And when will they receive notification that there will be a change in learning, meaning when will they know that they're going to go back to live instruction?

[3491] SPEAKER_05: Thank you, Ms. Gutierrez. So, yeah, two things. One, we've said this from the beginning and we're going to hold true to this commitment that we will not be reopening without two weeks advance notice to families and communities. So you can expect that from us, that if there is a reopening, that there'll be at least two weeks advance notice, maybe more. And then, sorry, what was the second part of the question, Ms. Gutierrez?

[3519] SPEAKER_24: When will the community know the results?

[3522] SPEAKER_05: Yes, thank you. So as you can see on the screen right now, we are having our next town hall meeting in approximately two weeks on March 9th. And so during that time is the window to complete the commitment form. And then we will have the results from that commitment form and the data to share with you on March 9th. And that will really help all of us, the entire community to better understand which direction we should head in moving deeper into the spring. And as you can imagine, if everyone is saying we don't want to go back, then that really shapes the direction we take. If everyone is saying we want to go back to in-person, then that informs it in that way. So it'll be really important to hear it from you and hear your voices in those commitment forms.

[3573] SPEAKER_24: And Dr. Triplett, if I may add, we had over 200 questions, and I know we couldn't get to all of them. Is there a better way to answer some of these questions or for the community to contact other than maybe we could also provide the info at NewarkUnified.org?

[3589] SPEAKER_05: Thank you. Yeah. So we will be back in two weeks and be able to answer more questions there. But in the meantime, we will collect up all the questions that we haven't answered yet from the Q&A and we'll put together an FAQ that we can send out to share and we'll also post that on our website. So please look forward to that and then In addition, any time, you can always reach out to us at our info web email address. And can you share that with us again, Ms. Gutierrez?

[3626] SPEAKER_24: Info at Newarkunified.org.

[3628] SPEAKER_05: All right. Info at Newarkunified.org. Thank you. All right. And with that, we are at 8.02. I want to honor everyone's time. Thank you very much for coming tonight, for your good questions and your concerns. As we stated at the beginning, safety And the health of our students, staff, and families is our number one concern. So we will continue to, with our plans, we'll continue engaging with our staff, with our labor partners, and you, our families, so that we can make sure that we have a safe, coordinated, and healthy return to in-person when all of the conditions are appropriate.

[3679] SPEAKER_06: Mr. Dulwich, any last words? I'd only add that even though we are in the winter, we are hopeful for a potential return. And we know that, as you mentioned, the safety of our students and staff are priority number one. But from a parent and guardian's perspective and seeing the informal results here tonight, that there is a need for our students to return to in-person. So we absolutely acknowledge that, and we'll continue to work diligently towards ensuring that, hopefully, in the spring of 2021.

[3713] SPEAKER_05: All right. Thank you, Mr. Dalowich. Thank you, Ms. Gutierrez, for coordinating, our IT team, and Ms. Julia for translating. And thank you all for coming tonight, and we'll see you next time. Five ayes, everybody.

No minutes available.