Elementary Teachers Return, TK-5 Reopens Monday

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Dear Long Beach Unified Community,

This week we are celebrating the return of our transitional kindergarten through fifth grade staff. For many teachers who had been working at home, they joined their elementary school and K-8 school staff members to prepare for the many students who will be returning to in-person instruction starting on Monday. I have enjoyed being out in schools this week to see all the preparations that have been made for students, and hearing about the ongoing support for students who continue in our online program.

The return to in-person classes includes asymptomatic screening for staff and students. This process started last Saturday, and thousands of students and staff have been screened since then. I have been inspired by the teamwork of people across the Long Beach Unified School District, from business offices, support offices and school offices. Our 菠菜网lol正规平台 team is working together in every way possible to ensure a safe reopening of school. 

The adjusted COVID-19 case rate for Los Angeles County was 3.8 per 100,000 this week, continuing the downward trend of recent weeks. This welcome news for community health is allowing our schools to proceed with their reopening plans, including our plans to offer in-person learning on hybrid schedules for middle and high schools on the previously announced April timeline. As we see more businesses and services open up in our region, we are encouraging our staff and members of our community to remain vigilant about following all health and safety protocols. This includes continued wearing of masks, physical distancing and hand washing.

In just a few days, as we have planned for, about 14,000 of our students will return to in-person instruction. We know that the new routines and schedules will require everyone to be flexible and help one another through the transition. We have been encouraging both adults and our students to pay attention to their emotions and allow themselves to express and process a lot of feelings. As adults in the community, we encourage you to reach out for help for yourselves or your children if you need support during this transitional time.

Middle and High Schools

We are looking forward to welcoming our middle and high school teachers and students back next month. I have been asked by some in the community why we are not bringing secondary students back sooner based on the community health conditions. The simplest way that I can explain the reason is that it takes coordination across 菠菜网lol正规平台 – staff from transportation, operations, custodial services, administration, teachers and support staff – to ensure a safe return to school. When we reopen, we want to stay open. With our 70,000 students in mind, we created a phased approach to ensure a safe return, and we are on schedule to complete that phasing between March 29 and April 26. Secondary schools have been cleared to have students on campus for club meetings, sports and many other activities. We expect that these activities will increase between now and April 26.

At the beginning of this week, national and local health officials changed the guidance for spacing between desks in classrooms from six feet to three feet. While this change in guidance provides us some flexibility in a few cases, we will not be changing our spring phasing-in plan at this time. Our classrooms are set, and all of our protocols are in place. 

Next School Year

As our school teams work diligently to ensure the best possible instructional program for students who are returning to school and for those who will continue in distance learning, we also continue to plan, with excitement, for the 2021-22 school year. With the new spacing guidelines in place, we look forward to having all students who want to return to in-person instruction for full-day programs. We will continue to reimagine many aspects of our students’ experience, while planning for what most students would describe as a typical school experience. As I have shared previously, we will also launch a new online learning option for families who want that choice for their family.

The past year has been a time of difficulty, of learning, and of many ups and downs. We don’t expect that this spring will come without challenges. What I know for sure is that the 菠菜网lol正规平台 family is strong and will continue to face each challenge together. Thank you for being such a wonderful community, and for demonstrating such exemplary support for excellence and equity in 菠菜网lol正规平台. We will stand together through the days of spring and into the future.

Sincerely,

Jill

Jill Baker, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools