San Ramon Valley Unified School District Announces Hybrid Reopening Schedule

The following message was posted by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District after Contra Costa Health Services said K-6 schools are now allowed to open under certain conditions. With the county still in the Purple Tier, grade 7-12 are not allowed to return at this time.

Under the older guidelines, schools could not reopen with an adjusted case rate above 7%, however, after Governor Newsoms recent tweak with the threat of a recall, the adjusted case rate was increased to 25%.  Districts with populations who are diverse, and have a higher equity challenge, will not meet the threshold, such as Antioch, Pittsburg, West Contra Costa because of the states equity index.

Here is the message via SRVUSD:

After months of planning, preparation, and collaboration, we are pleased to announce that we are very close to reopening schools, for elementary and Special Day Classes, for hybrid in-person instruction as soon as this week. We are also bringing a recommendation to the Board to include our 6th graders, in their core classes, as well.

As we move towards this reality, we’d like to share some important information with you.

Clarification from Contra Costa Health Services

As we shared before the weekend, once Contra Costa County falls below the adjusted case rate of 25 cases per 100,000 population for a minimum of five days, SRVUSD is prepared to begin reopening for hybrid in-person instruction, in a staggered model, the very next school day.

On Friday, February 5, 2021, there was a bit of confusion because the Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) COVID Overview Dashboard showed our county at an adjusted case rate of 25.2, slightly above the necessary metric. However, many community members reached out to us explaining that for a short period of time, the county website showed an adjusted case rate of 24.7, and then changed to 25.2.

We reached out to CCHS for clarification and they stated that,“CCHS tries its best to keep this daily adjusted rate calculation in synch with the State’s calculation, however because of different times in the day that they are calculated, CCHS’s adjusted rate is sometimes off by a few decimal points from the State’s calculation. For the 7-day period from 1/21/21 to 1/27/21, the state is officially reporting Contra Costa at 24.7 adjusted cases per 100K (versus 25.2 per 100K per CCHS calculation).” For the purposes of reopening, the adjusted case rate that we must use is the adjusted case rate for Contra Costa being tracked by the State.

This means we met the first day of the metric on Friday, February 5 and the first day TK-6 schools in Contra Costa County can reopen is Wednesday, February 10.

SRVUSD Hybrid In-Person Reopening Schedule

As long as Contra Costa County remains under 25 cases, at an adjusted case rate, through tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9th, SRVUSD schools will move to hybrid in-person instruction as follows:

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

All Preschools and Grades TK-2 begin

General Education, County Preschool, & Special Day Classes

Friday, February 12, 2021:

No School – Teacher Work Day

Monday, February 15, 2021:

No School – President’s Day Holiday

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Because of the holiday weekend, we will be moving our Asynchronous Day to Tuesday. This means no students will be on campus and will engage remotely.

Elementary – Follow the remote Monday bell schedule

Secondary – Follows the remote Block Schedule for an Odd Day

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Elementary

All Grades 3-5 begin

General Education & Special Day Classes

Middle School

Pending Board Approval – 6th grade core classes ONLY begin (Cohort A)

Grades 6-8 Special Day Classes begin

High School

Grades 9-12 Special Day Classes & Adult Transition begin

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Middle School

Pending Board Approval – 6th grade core classes ONLY begin (Cohort B)

As a reminder, all families who chose remote will remain in a remote learning environment.

SRVUSD Health and Safety Protocols

Moving into hybrid in-person instruction is a monumental milestone for our District and it is critical that we work together to follow all health and safety protocols. In order to successfully reopen, we need our families to assist us with the following items before the first day of school

Ensure your Acknowledgment Form is signed electronically and turned into SRVUSD. This form outlines our detailed expectations for our students and their families.

Emphasize the importance of respecting social distancing and wearing a face covering.

Watch our SRVUSD Safety Videos with your student.

Elementary School Safety Video

Middle School Safety Video

Venture Adult Education Safety Video

SRVUSD Recommendation for 6th Grade Core Classes

Tomorrow evening, we will be bringing a recommendation to the Board to allow our 6th grade students to move into hybrid in-person instruction for core classes while in the Purple Tier. Core classes include Reading, English Language Arts and Social Studies. If approved, their Core classes will begin in our hybrid in-person reopening schedule listed above. Families who chose remote learning will be able to remain in a remote environment.

SRVUSD Secondary Students – 7th-12th Grades

We haven’t forgotten about our secondary students. We continue to plan for their return as soon as the county enters the Red Tier. Additionally, we are working on bringing them back in small groups while still in the Purple Tier.

Thank you for all of your patience, flexibility, and understanding during this challenging time in our nation’s history. We are truly looking forward to seeing our students back on campus!