Join A SMMUSD Health Symposium On Schools And Coronavirus

SANTA MONICA, CA — Parents, students, staff and community members are invited to a virtual symposium Thursday titled "Our Schools and COVID-19."

The event starts at 7 p.m. on Zoom and will be moderated by California state Sen. Ben Allen and includes panelists SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati, Dr. Jamie Lloyd-Smith, UCLA Professor, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Studying COVID-19 Aerosol and Surface Stability; Dr. Rita Kachru, UCLA Health, Associate Professor and Section Chief, Clinical Immunology and Allergy and SMMUSD Health & Safety District Advisory Committee Member; Will Nicholas, Ph.D., Director, Center for Health Impact Evaluation, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

SMMUSD schools plan to return to classrooms April 12, following spring break, Drati said in a news release.

"We find ourselves at a real inflection point for our return to “normal school” and this is both exciting for some and scary for others," Drati said. "One person's joy at this news is equally concerning to a different person coming from different circumstances. As we have said before, we are committed to expanding as safely and as inclusively and as broadly as possible based on science and the direction of the governing bodies. We also remain committed to providing the best instruction and best educational continuity for all of our students."

The district plans to keep sharing updates on reopening.

"We hope you can join us to hear from our expert panel, your most frequently asked questions and concerns," Drati said.

Check out this flyer for more information and the Zoom link. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation is also available.