November 6, 2020
WVUSD School Community,
Thank you for your extraordinary support of our schools, our staff, and our students throughout the past several months as we have implemented and sustained our Distance Learning program. I sincerely hope that you and your family are safe, healthy, and well during this most unprecedented and challenging time. I truly appreciate our parents and students for the continued perseverance and commitment to learning, and our teachers and staff for the unwavering dedication to our kids … especially given the current situation.
While, unfortunately, little has changed in terms of the data and statistics that guide the state and local county reopening (of schools) plans, I did want to honor my commitment of checking in with you and providing updated information.
As you will recall, Los Angeles County (LA County) must successfully “exit” what is known as Tier 1 (also the “purple tier” and/or “widespread”) and then successfully meet or exceed specific data marks in Tier 2 (also known as the “red tier”) before it can consider allowing local school districts, such as Walnut Valley, to fully reopen with “in-person” instruction. This process takes approximately five consecutive weeks once a county has met the initial data marks. LA County has not yet successfully met the initial data goals. Therefore, LA County remains in Tier 1 (“purple”). The data is typically updated every Tuesday.
Unfortunately, again, when reviewing the calendar, if, under the best-case scenario, LA County began this five week process next Tuesday (and there is no indication that this will happen), it would mean that our schools would not be considered (by LA County) for reopening until mid-December.
Therefore, to assist with clarification and planning, I am announcing today that the Walnut Valley Unified School District will not reopen for “in-person” instruction prior to the Winter Break and scheduled recess (December 17 – January 4). Furthermore, at this point, we have no indication that LA County will have met its data goals by January 2021, and thus, at this time, we are unable to provide a specific date for returning to “in-person” instruction. Consequently, we will continue to provide our Distance Learning program until further notice, and we will continue to plan for a safe and effective “in-person” learning program so that we are ready to return when so authorized by LA County.
While school districts in LA County, including Walnut Valley, are unable to even contemplate returning “in-person” at this time, as previously stated, we are working diligently to prepare for a possible “in-person” model , so that we will be ready when permitted and confident in so doing. We continue to work with various stakeholder focus groups to address the numerous requirements, needs, and safety protocols, such as personal protective equipment, routines for frequent cleaning and disinfecting, classroom air filters, transportation, nutrition services, social distancing, symptom screening, daily bell schedules, instructional methodology, child care services, etc. We are also examining best practices for mitigating, identifying, and addressing any learning gaps potentially caused by the absence of “in-person” instruction. Additionally, as we have shared all along, we will have educational options for those students who are uncomfortable returning to an “in-person” model of learning.
As part of this process, in the near future, our school district will again be gathering input from all stakeholders in order to assist in the further development of our planning.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, as well as your continued support!
Sincerely,
Robert P. Taylor, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Walnut Valley Unified School District
2020年11月6日
WVUSD学區社区，
感謝您在我们实施并持續進行远程学习计划的过去几个月以來，对我们的学校，教职员工和学生的全力支持。在这段無前例又充满挑战的时期内，我衷心希望您和您的家人都安全，健康，無恙。我非常感谢家長和學生對學習的執著和承诺, 也感谢我们的老师和工作人员对孩子们的坚定奉献…尤其是在当前形势下。
然而遺憾的是，州和地方县對重新开放（学校）的数据和统计原則几乎没有变化，只是我還是覺得必須信守我對您的承诺 – 向您報告和提供最新信息。
您记得我們提過，洛杉矶县（LA County）必须成功 能 "出離" 被称为第1层（也称为"紫色" 和/或"广泛分布" 层）的模式，然后再成功达到或超过第2层中的特定数据标记 （也称为"红线"层），才可以考虑允许本地学区（如核桃谷）以"面对面" 教學方式完全重新开放。第1层數據達標后，進入第 2 層次的達標過程,大约需要连续五周；然而洛县目前尚未成功达到第1层数据目标，仍处于第1层（"紫色"）。数据通常会在每个星期二更新。
只是看了日曆后， 再次令人惋惜的是，在最佳情况下，即使洛杉矶县在下周二开始了这五个星期的过程（實際上是没有迹象顯示会发生这种情况），那就意味着, 至12月中旬之前，我们的学校将不会被考虑（由洛杉矶县）允许能重新开放。
因此，为了助於澄清和计划，我今天宣布，在寒假和预定放假时段（12月17日至1月4日）之前，核桃谷
联合学区不會开放进行"面对面"教学。再者，此刻也没有迹象顯示洛杉矶县将在2021年1月之前达到其数据
目标，因此，我们目前也无法提供返校接受"面對面 "教導的日期。所以
，我们将继续提供远程学习计划，
直到另行通知为止。同時我们将继续计划一个安全有效的"面对面" 学习課程，一旦洛杉矶县授权，我们也已
经准备好返校學習。
虽然包括核桃谷在内的洛杉矶县的学区，目前根本都无法想象能 返校 "面對面" 學習，但如前所述， 我们一
直努力 为可能到來的这一天做准备，以便准许的指令一旦下達， 我們不但已做好准备，也信心满滿。
我们将继续与不同的重點小组合作，以應對不同的規定，需求和安全协议，例如个人防护设备，日常清洁和
消毒程序，教室空气过滤器，交通, 营养服务，社会疏離，症状筛查，日常工作时间表，教学方法，儿童保育服
务等。我们还在研究如何實踐才能缓解，识别和應對因缺少"面對面 "教学所造成的学习差距。此外，我们一直以
来也與大家分享過， 我们還是会为那些不愿意回到 "面对面"学习模式的学生提供教育选择。
在準備的过程中，我们学区很快将再次與所有不同的重點小组合作，收集大家的意见來協助我們進一步的發展和計劃。
謝謝您的耐心，
體諒和持續的支持!
此致,
Robert P. Taylor, Ed.D.
總監
核桃谷聯合學區