Update February 5, 2021
Update: Message to the FCUSD Community
February 5, 2021
Dear FCUSD community: Please see updates below from last night's Board meeting.
Plans to reopen for in-person Hybrid instruction at middle and high schools
At the Board meeting last night, the Board approved to align reopening date for schools not yet open to new (1-14-21) CDPH recommended timeline or the earliest day possible under any future directives issued by the Governor or the State. Additionally, staff is directed to take all necessary actions required to open 6th grade in hybrid instruction at the earliest possible date based on the new guidance.
Staff presentation is attached. Please click on this link to view the new California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Guidelines, released on January 14, 2021.
Note: The new CDPH document does not modify or supersede the Guidance Related to Cohorts for Children and Youth (first issued on August 25, 2020, last updated September 4, 2020), which applies to groups of children and youth in controlled, supervised, and indoor environments.
This Board decision allows FCUSD to open middle and high schools for Hybrid in-person instruction, five days after Sacramento County has moved to Red Tier.
More information on the timeline and necessary components for opening 6th grade will be forthcoming.
IMPORTANT: County metrics and tier status changes are based on the State’s CDPH weekly updates. You may notice that Sacramento County reports differ slightly. There is about a one week lag for County metrics to be uploaded to the State’s report.
To follow CDPH determinations, please visit their website here: https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/
FCUSD looks forward to bringing back secondary students to campus in a Hybrid model and is encouraged by the successful return to campus for our students in Elementary Hybrid, Special Education Cohorts, and Expanded Learning and Care sites. The CDPH required COVID-19 Safety Plan (CSP) is posted on all elementary school websites and will be posted on all secondary schools websites in advance of their reopening for in-person Hybrid instruction.
Registration Information for Fall of 2021
The District is now enrolling students for the 2021-22 school year. While working in conjunction with the County Department of Health and the County Office of Education, and vaccination programs throughout the summer, FCUSD has every hope of opening in a traditional model for those families who wish to return to in-person learning.
The District will alert the Board of Trustees, and our families, if any contingencies arise from the state that could negatively impact opening our schools in the traditional model.
Additionally, the District will offer a full Virtual Academy for the 2021-22 school year. Families interested in the Virtual Academy would still register at their school of attendance now. Final decision to enroll in the Virtual Academy could be made at a later time.
As of February 1, online registration has opened.
- Registration paperwork has been distributed directly to families
- For questions regarding registration paperwork, please contact your school of attendance
- For general enrollment questions, please visit: www.fcusd.org/enroll
First Day of Instruction: August 11, 2021
Proposal for Learning Loss Mitigation: Support for Students
Staff provided an overview of the District’s Learning Loss Mitigation Plan. Considerations to support students experiencing learning loss focus on:
- Expanding small cohort groups for in-person instruction
- Academic supports
- Social/Emotional supports
- Summer programs
Please see the attached document to view tonight’s presentation. A more detailed plan will be brought to the Board during the next Board meeting on February 18.
Update: Message to FCUSD Secondary Families
February 5, 2021
Dear Secondary parents and guardians,
FCUSD’s priority continues to be connecting with our students to support their academic, social, and emotional success with a positive school experience. Attendance is still the key to learning – whether online or in a classroom.
Beginning February 1, secondary sites transitioned to a new phase in their attendance and engagement tracking. On Mondays, students will continue to follow the distance learning bell schedule for their school and attend one online meeting. In PowerSchool, families will now see a bell schedule and teachers will be recording attendance for all classes on Mondays. This year, under Senate Bill 98, attendance is measured by student participation and engagement. Student attendance in their asynchronous classes is determined by the assignments and/or learning activities assigned by the teacher. Students are expected to submit the assignments and/or learning activities for Mondays, or make contact with their teacher.
Teachers will post Monday’s asynchronous learning activity no later than 9:00 a.m. on Monday. Students must complete the learning assignment OR contact the teacher no later than 30 minutes before the end of the instructional day. This will allow teachers to take the state mandated attendance. If students do not submit their assignments and/or learning activities 30 minutes before the end of the instructional day, they will be marked absent and parents/guardians will receive a robocall home as notification that their student did not complete the asynchronous learning activity during the school day on Monday.
Parents/guardians do not need to call to excuse an absence generated by the student not completing the learning activity for the day. Parents would continue to call for other scenarios such illness, etc. For an absence generated by missing work to be cleared, the student must complete the assigned learning activity before 11:59 p.m. Monday, and make contact with the teacher via email confirming the assignment has been completed. As we implement these changes, the robocall will be turned off for Monday, February 8th but will resume on Monday, February 22nd.
We understand that remote instruction poses unique challenges and are deeply committed to helping students overcome as many of these challenges as possible. Together, we can work towards helping your child do well in school every day of the week. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or administrator if you are having any questions or challenges with attendance.