Superintendent

“Our students are creative thinkers and problem-solvers and are prepared to become responsible, ethical, and productive citizens.”

April 2, 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians:

We hope your spring break included plenty of outdoor time and that you were able to take advantage of the unusually warm weather! As we return to school on Monday morning, we want to provide you with a few important updates.

New Travel Guidelines

Just yesterday, the California Department of Public Health updated its travel guidance effective immediately, aligning our state’s recommendations with the new CDC guidance that was also issued this week. The highlights are:

• If you have been fully vaccinated and travel out-of-state, quarantine is not  recommended.
• If you have not been fully vaccinated, and traveled for a non-essential purpose, the state now recommends a 7 day quarantine (rather than 10 days) regardless of whether you have any symptoms of COVID-19, and a test is recommended within 3-5 days following your return. A negative test does not negate the recommendation to quarantine, however.
• If you have not been fully vaccinated, and traveled for an essential purpose, no quarantine is recommended unless you are symptomatic. The essential travel definitions can be found in the updated guidance.

The new CDPH guidance is here, and CDC recommendations are here. We anticipate that Contra Costa Health Services will also align with this new guidance and are awaiting confirmation of this.

We have updated our Parent Compact accordingly and it can be found here. We hope you will continue your partnership with us to keep our schools and our staff safe and healthy during this important time in the life cycle of this pandemic.

Upcoming Governing Board Meetings

The Board will convene for a Special Meeting on April 7 at 5 pm to discuss the return to in-person instruction. Topics will include the plans for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year as well as preparation for the 2021-22 school year, and will address both Stanley Middle School and elementary schools. The Board’s regularly scheduled April meeting follows a week later, on April 14 at 7 pm, and may include additional discussion on the return to school. 

Elementary School New Schedule

Our elementary school administrators have spent a great deal of time planning for the new schedule that begins on April 12, which will include more in-person instructional time and an opportunity for distance learning students to return to campus. You should have received the new schedule and detailed information from your principal just before the start of spring break, and if you have questions, your classroom teacher or principal are the best places to start.

If you have any questions about the new guidance, new schedules, or any other District matters, please contact us at superintendent@lafsd.org or covid19support@lafsd.org. Welcome back from break!

Best regards,

Richard Whitmore, Superintendent