South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) has pushed back the start of the school year from August 12 to August 17 and will utilize a phased approach toward the reopening of schools, according to a plan recently adopted by the district.
“The health and well-being of our students and staff are a top priority at SSFUSD. That is why we have made the decision as a district to delay the start of school and to start the year off with all students in distance learning on August 17,” said SSFUSD Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore.
According to the superintendent, this initial phase of distance learning could last for three weeks or longer, depending on public health conditions.
"If conditions improve, and health indicators start to move in the right direction, we would start transitioning to phase 2, where only the district's most vulnerable students would be invited back to campus for in-person instruction or support," said Dr. Moore. "Everyone else would remain in distance learning."
Dr. Moore emphasized that phase 2 could also last for three weeks or more, depending on public health conditions.
"We would only move to phase 3, if things continue to get better, and we start to see significant declines in the number of COVID-19 cases in the county along with a decrease in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 over time,” she said.
In phase 3 of the district's reopening plan, students in transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade would be allowed to return to school with the consent of their parents.
These students would also be split into two cohorts. Each cohort would then attend classes in-person on alternating schedules two days a week and learn from home three days a week.
All students and staff would be required to follow appropriate social distancing and health and hygiene protocols, if and when in-person classes resume and any time they are on our campus.
“Safety is our main concern: The safety of our students, the safety of our families, and the safety of our teachers and staff. That’s why we are basing our decisions on science and the latest data from the state and the county," said Dr. Moore. "Nevertheless, we remain committed to providing our students with a high-quality education, regardless of whether we are using distance learning or in-person learning."
The district’s reopening plan incorporates guidance from the San Mateo County Health Department (San Mateo Health), the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), the county’s Pandemic Recovery Framework, and feedback from our staff and our parent groups.