Manhattan Beach Schools Superintendent Delivers New Message

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —

Good morning,

The desire for more information has never been higher from our MBUSD community. Everything is changing so rapidly, and people want to know what is going on. So, while I will continue providing updates in my newsletters, I am increasing my communication with the new Monday Morning Message, which will contain brief summary updates related to COVID-19 and our schools. I hope you find it helpful.

High Needs Hybrid: We intend to start in-person assessments and in-person school for our high-need students with IEPs during the week of October 12. We have submitted our notification forms to the County, informing them that we will begin providing these services in our five elementary schools and our preschool. This Wednesday, I will update our Board on that process.

TK – 2 Waivers: We heard from the County last week that TK-2 waivers will become available today. Only 30 waivers per week will be granted. Schools with higher numbers of students eligible for free and reduced lunch will receive priority. After two weeks, the first group of 30 schools will hear from the County. We will closely examine the waiver requirements when they become available, and I will update our community where we are in that process at this Wednesday’s Board meeting.

Re-Opening Requirements: Preparations for opening our schools to students continue. We have upgraded air filters, installed plexiglass in our offices, ordered plexiglass for student desks, established procedures for screening students and employees when they arrive on campus, and developed plans to follow if there is a case of a student or adult with symptoms on campus. Additional updates, as well as our checklist based on Department of Public Health protocols, will be presented to the Board on Wednesday.

For more detailed information, please tune in to our Board Meeting on Wednesday, October 7th at 5:00pm (broadcast live on our YouTube Channel). You can also find the highlights of what happened at our meetings by clicking the Board Meeting Highlights page on our website.

Have a great week, everyone.

Mike Matthews
MBUSD Superintendent