Parents and Guardians,
District leaders and teachers met today to analyze COVID-19 data for San Bernardino County and within our district boundaries. When we applied for our elementary waiver, our part of the mountain was in orange but since that time our colored tiers have moved up to red and is currently purple. Confirmed cases have increased not only in our boundaries but in our county and in our state. Please monitor the county website for the most current data regarding COVID19 at https://sbcovid19.com/.
Because of this data, the teams agreed to extend the date of returning to in-person instruction, through a hybrid model. On January 19, 2021, grades TK-2 will return, while grades 3-5 will start on January 25, 2021. This takes into consideration the 2 major breaks for Thanksgiving and Winter allowing for 14 days of suggested quarantine after gatherings as we know many will take advantage of this family time. We have announced in the past that dates are tentative as we must respond to guidelines and changes from our government. Secondary reopening continues to be dependent the state tiered system and one of the first requirements is being in red as a county for 14 days.
We do believe we are prepared for school reopening with our purchases of PPE- masks and face shields, air purification machines, hand sanitizer, temperature checking stations, desk shields and various cleaning supplies. Elementary principals have been working on handbooks for both staff and parents that will be shared as we move closer to reopening.
We continue to long for the days when we can all be together again, and school is “normal”. The district and our teachers are working to balance survey results, educational needs, county data, and to continually improve distance learning. This decision was not taken lightly by anyone. We thank you for your continued support and understanding.
Michelle Murphy, Superintendent
Rim of the World Unified School District
(909) 336-4100