August 5, 2022
Dear SCUSD Families,
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!
I hope your family has had a restful and enjoyable summer! Our staff is looking forward to your students being back on our campuses for the first day of school on Thursday, August 11.
With transmission rates high in our county, COVID-19 is on all of our minds. I want to assure you that safety is our number one priority. We are working closely with Santa Clara County Public Health to ensure that we are employing recommended mitigation strategies while providing a safe and positive school experience.
COVID-19 Safety Measures
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines for schools this year provide the framework for our safety measures. To keep one another healthy and our schools open for in-person instruction, we must all stay vigilant in following the CDPH recommendations.
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Masks
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Masks are strongly recommended indoors and in crowded outdoor settings. Please encourage your child to wear a mask while at school indoors to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets which is the main way COVID-19 is transmitted.
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Self-Screening / Rapid Testing
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At-home, rapid antigen testing is the state’s focus for schools this year; Individuals should test at home when experiencing COVID-like symptoms or after exposure to a positive COVID case. You can access free tests through the federal government (covidtests.gov), the county (sccfreetest.org) or through health insurance. We will have a limited supply of tests at school should your child not have access to a test when it is indicated.
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Due to the increased travel and social interactions that often occurs during school-breaks, CDPH recommends that students and staff get tested for COVID-19 prior to returning to school following major breaks (e.g., summer, winter, spring).
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Stay home and take a test if experiencing COVID-like symptoms
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If your child tests positive, isolate at home immediately and alert your school office.
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Your child may continue at school if exposed to COVID but tests negative and is not experiencing COVID-like symptoms; in these cases, they should wear a mask, test 3-5 days after exposure, and stay home if the test is positive or they begin experiencing symptoms
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Vaccination
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COVID-19 vaccination and boosters are strongly recommended. They are one of our top mitigation strategies.
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Notices
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Notify your school office if your student tests positive for COVID or is a close contact to a positive case at home or in the community
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Exposure notices will come from your school office
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Other Strategies
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We will continue to monitor and routinely replace MERV-13 air filters in all HVAC systems
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We will continue to encourage frequent and proper handwashing as well as provide hand sanitizer
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We will continue to regularly clean facilities
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At-home screening testing is strongly encouraged prior to the start of school on Thursday, August 11. Please test your student on Wednesday, August 10. Please report to your school office any positive tests, symptoms, and exposures to positive COVID cases so that the schools can give you public health instructions.
As noted above, California Department of Public Health’s focus this year is on at-home rapid antigen testing. Consequently, there is no statewide at-school testing program such as the one we participated in last year with Concentric Testing, and we are shifting to the recommended at-home rapid antigen testing. Test kits are available at no cost through a variety of sources such as the federal government (covidtests.gov), the county (sccfreetest.org), and through your health insurance. We will also be providing sites with a limited supply of additional test kits for those who do not have tests available at home and are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or are exposed to COVID at school.
We know that public health guidelines can change over the course of the year and we are committed to keeping you updated as our mitigation strategies change. Please take a few minutes to read our “District Update” newsletters where you will find updates and information as the year progresses. Exposure notices will come from your school office and the district will continue with daily updates of our COVID-19 Tracking Dashboard.
Annual Student Information Update
All students currently enrolled in preschool through 12th grade, including the post secondary program, are required to complete the annual student information update process online through Aeries Parent Portal by August 9. You should have received communication about this and can find all of the details here: Annual Student Information Update
Residency Verification
Proof of residency is contained in the annual student information update via the Aeries Parent Portal. Proof of residency is required when initially enrolling or to confirm residency such as when there is a change in address or mail to a family is returned.
School Schedules
Each school will communicate about the school’s schedules and other site-specific information that you will need for the start of the school year.
School Meals
School meals are free for all students again this school year! Each student can receive one free breakfast and lunch at no cost. Families do not need to fill out an application to get free meals. However, we are asking for help from families who may qualify for the federal Free & Reduced Price Meal Program based on household income to complete a meal application. The applications are important for a number of reasons including funding our child nutrition program, families accessing low-cost utilities, discounts on camps, and SAT/PSAT/AP/ACT testing, among other benefits to your child.
Share Your First Day With Us!
As you return for the school year, we will be watching our district hashtags #SCUSDproud and #SCUSDfirstday. Don’t forget to tag us so we can share your posts!
It is an honor for us to serve you and your children and youth. I wish you a wonderful 2022-2023 school year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Gary Waddell
Interim Superintendent
