Town Hall, August 5 (Updated Safety Plan)
Dear Brightworks Community,
It was wonderful to see so many of you last night. For those folks who couldn't make it I've attached a recording of our meeting as well as the slideshow. This email has 3 important surveys that we would like you to fill out. Thanks for taking the time to read and engage!
Distance V. In-person
In the meeting we discussed how the Governor’s school closure order effects Brightworks re-opening. The Governor's order mandates that schools in counties on the state’s watch list stay closed until they’ve been off the watchlist for 14 days. San Francisco remains on the watch list. August 12th is the latest date that San Francisco could be removed from the watch list for us to re-open on time for the start of school. Though the indicators lead us to believe we will be opening in Distance Learning, we will wait until August 12th to make our final call.
Whether or not the closure orders lift, we would like to know by August 12th if your family would be sending your students to in-person learning or keeping them home to do distance learning should we be able to open in Arc 1. This will allow us to create a staffing plan in advance of any transition into in-person learning. We ask all families to please log your final decision in this survey. Thanks!
Waivers
The Governor’s order leaves room for the possibility that elementary schools in monitored counties could apply for a waiver to re-open from their local health department. San Francisco Department of Public health has not yet opened for applications, however, the application process has been released by CDPH. An important part of that application process is consulting with stakeholders. Families are an essential stakeholder in the decision to apply for a waiver. We ask that our elementary (K-5) families take the time to fill out this waiver survey to share their thoughts.
Technology Needs for Fall
In both in-person and distance learning scenarios, students will need access to their own computers. To this end, we’ve put together a survey to help us distribute computers and hotspots to students who need them. Please take the time to fill out the technology survey (even if you will not be using a school computer).
New Safety Guidelines
The California Department of Public Health has also released new safety guidelines. We’ve used these guidelines to update our own health and safety plan. The most significant changes have been to masks and testing. I’ve quoted those sections at the bottom of this email and attached the revised version of the safety plan.
Thank you so much for reading and engaging with this email. Please feel free to reach out with your questions and concerns. We understand how difficult this time of uncertainty is for everyone and we are so grateful for your partnership.
Best Wishes,
Mackenzie and the Leadership Team
Safety Plan Revisions
Masks
Another element of daily hygiene is face coverings or masks. “CDC advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.” Therefore, we ask staff and students to come to school with a comfortable face mask (that doesn’t ventilate outwards). The School is prepared to provide disposable masks to any student or staff who loses, soils, or forgets their mask. We will be supplying the staff with face shields to use in addition to masks for extra protection. Staff and students should wash their reusable masks daily.
In accordance with the California Department of Public Health guidelines, students and staff must wear face masks while at school. While students under 9 years of age are strongly encouraged to wear masks, students 9 years of age and older are required to wear masks. This means that if you are 9 years of age or older and refuse to wear a mask you will not be allowed to remain in the building. There will be exceptions for staff and students with documented medical or behavioral contraindications.
Staff working with our emergent readers and writers can use a face shield with a cloth drape tucked into the shirt (beekeeper style), however, they should maintain as much distance as practicable.
Students can take off their masks to eat or exercise. When students temporarily take off their masks the mask should be properly stored in a clean paper bag with their name and date on it.
The goal of these guidelines is to reduce risk so that students can learn in person. We understand that it may be difficult to adjust to wearing masks with such frequency and duration. We suggest that you and your children practice wearing masks during the summer so you can find one that is comfortable for long-term use.
Testing
In addition to daily health screenings, our staff will be regularly tested for Covid-19. We are still determining if we will require testing for students as well.