Capistrano Unified School District, CDC, And California Deptartment Of Public Health

Press release from the Capistrano Unified School District:

March 19, 2021

Dear CUSD Families,

"Our District is one of the few school districts in California that has been open for in person instruction since September.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to bring every student who wants to return to campus full-time due to rules and regulations from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The biggest obstacle is the requirement that students remain 6 feet apart. This requirement limits our ability to bring every student back because our classrooms are not designed for this type of distance per student.

Our Board of Trustees, District leadership, and PTSA are advocating around the clock to get ALL our students back to school. We are reviewing all of our options and no decisions have been made at this time.

As you may know, this morning, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revised guidance for social distancing in classrooms from a six feet requirement to three feet. But this guidance has not yet been adopted by the California Department of Public Health and therefore does not yet apply to California schools.

We are required to follow the rules CDPH creates for in person school learning, athletics, visual and performing arts, and every other guideline impacting public school students.

And that is why we need your help!

If you would like to add your voice in asking CDPH to adopt the new CDC guideline for social distancing at 3 feet instead of the current 6 feet, your efforts would be welcomed.

To contact the CDPH, please visit this link: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/contact_us.aspx and share your feedback.

Thank you for your partnership and support."

Sincerely,

Kirsten Vital Brulte
Superintendent

PS: Notwithstanding any decision by the District or CDPH, parents who wish to have their students remain in online classes will still have that option.

This press release was produced by the City of Walnut Creek. The views expressed here are the author’s own.