TVUSD Elementary School Reopening On Track For March 15

TEMECULA, CA — As Riverside County reviews the COVID-19 safety plan submitted by Temecula Valley Unified School District as part of the required process for reopening elementary campuses, the district's superintendent had a message for families Tuesday: "We are excited to be on track to bring back our elementary students (grades PreK-5) on March 15 and our secondary students (grades 6-12) on April 5.

"We anticipate approval from the county within the next few days," TVUSD Superintendent Dr. Jodi McClay continued. "The state then has seven days to approve the plan."

The review process for TVUSD's reopening was underway, confirmed Riverside County spokesperson Brooke Federico.

The news comes after it was announced Tuesday that transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade students in Riverside County may return to the classroom. The decision follows state guidelines requiring the county's adjusted daily coronavirus cases drop to less than 25 infections per 100,000 residents. On Tuesday, the countywide rate dropped to 16.6 infections per 100,000.

In Tuesday's correspondence with TVUSD families, McClay detailed the return-to-class timeline for elementary students. (See it here.)

For secondary students in grades 6-12, McClay said campuses are ready. Per state guidelines, however, the coronavirus daily case rate must drop to under seven infections per 100,000 population before secondary students can return to class.

"We remain optimistic with the current trends that Riverside County will meet the required 7/100,000 adjusted case rate and progress back to the Red Tier that will allow us to transition to our on-campus cohort programs on April 5, 2021," McClay said.

In the next few weeks, secondary families will receive communication from their school site confirming the learning model and cohort their student has been placed in, McClay explained. Families who would like to discuss learning options are encouraged to contact their school office directly for assistance after receiving communication from the site.

Four Riverside County public school districts received the green light Tuesday from the county to reopen due to their approved COVID-19 safety plans; state approval of the districts' plans is anticipated, the county announced. Corona-Norco Unified School District, the Palo Verde Valley Unified School District in the eastern desert, the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, and Desert Sands Unified School District in the Coachella Valley are slated to reopen shortly.

Parents within the districts are asked to check with their school or district for more information on returning to in-person learning.

A county schools' team "continues to review other districts' safety plans expeditiously along with state review," the county said Tuesday in a news release.

Schools previously open for transitional kindergarten through sixth-grade education under the earlier waivers process remain in operation, as do those schools that opened for all grade levels during the county's brief period in the state's red tier framework. No public school district reopened under those scenarios.