Capistrano Unified School District Moving Closer To Normal

Press release from the Capistrano Unified School District:

March 31, 2021

Dear CUSD Families,

"We have great news that will benefit every CUSD student. Beginning Monday, April 26, 2021, CUSD is increasing in-person learning for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year!

What this means for our students:

Elementary students currently enrolled in the full-day or hybrid model:

• A full day of instruction provided by the primary teacher with additional classified employee support in every classroom
• Students will no longer attend Extended Learning
• School principals will work to avoid teacher changes
• We will continue to follow all California Department of Public Health guidelines, including the use of facial coverings

Secondary students currently enrolled in the hybrid model:

• Four full days of instruction in all subjects, with a virtual day each week
• School principals will work to avoid schedule or teacher changes
• We will continue to follow all California Department of Public Health guidelines, including the use of facial coverings

Please Note:

• Students in 100% virtual will remain virtual
• Students who wish to switch from in-person instruction can switch to virtual
• Students attending RH Dana ENF and Serra High School will remain on their current schedule

Smaller class sizes coming this fall:

• An additional benefit for every CUSD student is the temporary increase in state and federal funding we will receive as a result of COVID legislation, which will provide us the opportunity to temporarily reduce class size starting this fall.

We know many of our families want to return to full-day instruction as soon as possible. Whenever we change working conditions, however, we must work with union leadership, including CUEA, CSEA, and Teamsters, to reach agreement on those new conditions.

We discussed dates to bring more students back to the classroom, necessary preparation time for staff, time to survey parents on preferences, and make appropriate operational adjustments. These discussions always involve collaboration and negotiation. We greatly appreciate your patience as we worked through this process.

While we are proud that in September we were one of the first districts in the state to provide students with an in-person learning experience during the pandemic, even as many other school districts remain closed, we have consistently challenged our teachers, staff, administrators, and District leadership to continue to work to bring more students back to school for in-person learning.

We are excited to return to a more normal school day and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we adjust to the newest health and safety guidelines that allow us to increase the number of students in our classrooms. This has been an extraordinarily challenging year for our families, students, teachers, classified staff, and administrators. We look forward to closing the 2020-21 school year strong!

We will be sending you more information tomorrow, including an enrollment link to make a change if you wish to move online. I hope all of you enjoy a very healthy and restful Spring Break!"

Sincerely,

Kirsten Vital Brulte
Superintendent

This press release was produced by the Capistrano Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.