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Update February 22, 2021

Update: Message to the FCUSD Community

February 22, 2021

 

Dear FCUSD community: Please see the Board Briefs and other updates below.

Resolution declaring February to be Black History Month

At the February 18 Board meeting, the Board adopted a Resolution declaring February as Black History Month. Please see attached.

Black History is American History and the District is committed to recognizing, celebrating, and bringing awareness to the contributions the Black community has made to American history and culture. The District is proud to adopt this resolution to formally recognize what has been a long-standing tradition, recognizing February as Black History Month. 

It’s important to note, that aligning curriculum and pedagogy to improve student learning and awareness of the contributions made by Black Americans to our society, creating a climate of inclusivity for our Black students and staff, and identifying and mitigating systemic racism and inequities, is an ongoing and urgent District objective.

Secondary timelines for returning to in-person Hybrid schedule

District staff is diligently pursuing every opportunity and possibility to bring back middle and high school students to campus, safely and as soon as possible. 

At the February 4 Board meeting, the Board approved middle and high schools to reopen in Hybrid, five days after Sacramento county has been moved to Red Tier status, and specifically approved FCUSD plans to align with California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance, knowing that guidance has and may continue to change.

You may remember that on February 10, CDPH provided an update to their Jan 14 guidelines, allowing school districts to apply for in-person return to campus, while in the Purple Tier, through a multi-step process. 

District staff has pursued this latest option and has submitted the necessary Letter of Intent and Specific Safety Application to CDPH. Public health has seven days to respond with approval, denial, or additional requirements. 

As we wait for either 1) the county to move to Red Tier or 2) CDPH response of the Safety Application, we are ready to welcome back middle and high school students as soon as allowed by state authorities in a Hybrid model. With this in mind, the Board further approved in-person Hybrid schedules as follows:

  • If approval occurs between grading periods, (prior to March 1 for Trimester schools, prior to March 15 for Semester schools), In-person Hybrid instruction starts on the first Tuesday of the beginning of the next grading period (March 2 for trimester schools, March 16 for Semester schools).  
  • If approval occurs after grading periods, (after March 1 for Trimester schools, After March 15 for Semester schools), In-person Hybrid instruction starts the following school day. 

Learning recovery plans

At the February 18 Board meeting, staff presented plans to address learning challenges brought on by the pandemic and Distance Learning. To see staff’s presentation, click here.

Update on high school athletics

On January 25, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced criteria for certain fall sports to compete as long as all safety measures are observed. Last week the California Department of Public Health released new guidance for youth sports. To see the guidelines dated February 19, please click here.

For FCUSD, student-athletes in cross country, boys and girls golf, swimming, tennis, and track and field (coming up in March) are eligible to compete and coaches are working with area leagues to begin scheduling those opportunities.

CDPH’s new guidelines will allow for these additional outdoor sports:  baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, and soccer, once the county meets the newest metric of 14/100,000 cases per CDPH. Start dates have not been determined and site administrators will communicate directly with students and families.

This will be the most unusual high school sports season we have all experienced and we ask everyone for grace, patience, and help.

As there are modifications due to safety measures, there will most likely be a bottleneck of facilities needed to be accessed. Collapsing fall, winter, and spring sports into a truncated timeframe will create some scheduling challenges. There will be additional challenges with transportation and parents may be asked to help transport their children. Please know that everything that can be done, will be done to create access to safe and engaging sports experiences for our student-athletes. Please also be aware that schedules and locations of events may change due to a variety of factors.

Enrolling for the 2021-22 school year, deadline extended to Friday, Feb. 26

Important reminders:

Emergency contact: Please provide information for someone close to home. If needed, think of someone who would be able to get to the school quickly. 

Correct contact information: Please provide accurate email and phone numbers during registration. This contact information is what your school and District use to email, text, or call you with important school and district announcements and updates.  

Photo permissions: Help us celebrate your student! We love to showcase student achievements and school events on FCUSD communication platforms. Stories such as this and this and this and this! 

To approve sharing your student’s image or name on FCUSD communication platforms, please check: No I do not want to opt-out 

If you do not wish for your student’s image or name to be shared on FCUSD communication platforms, please check: Yes, I do want to opt-out 

Reminder: Free COVID testing, available throughout the area

A reminder that if you would like a free COVID test, our local public health office has free testing sites throughout the county! Click on the link here, to find a location near you. Appointments are required.