Jerabek Elementary School will hold a virtual Movie Night on Saturday night, Sept. 26. All families with students at Jerabek Elementary are invited to access the Walt Disney Pictures film “Up” from the safety of their home on Sept. 26.

Bags of popcorn will be available for pickup from the school earlier. The Kona Ice truck will be visiting the basic vicinity in which Jerabek Elementary students reside during the evening. In addition, Jerabek Elementary will send a special message video to start the school year to all Jerabek families, complete with words of encouragement from celebrities, according to parent volunteer Laura Kay Stephens.

This event is the school’s traditional kick-off for the school year – a welcome back for all the families, Stephens said.

For more information, Jerabek Elementary families can visit the Jerabek News Facebook page and also look for an email message from the principal.

Team Inspiration, a second year middle and high school team based in the Stonebridge Estates neighborhood, swept the 2020 RoboSub competition with the following awards:

• First place overall
• First place in technical design report (Caltech won second place)
• First place in website
• Second place in video presentation

As the upcoming school year comes to a kickoff, teachers, students and parents are getting ready for online learning. 

This year due to the circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) will be fully online for all grades when the school year begins.

Miramar Ranch Elementary School (MRE) teacher Julie Callahan said she is excited for the school year and plans to have a successful year. 

Callahan has been teaching in the SDUSD for around 32 years and has been at MRE for the last 16 years. 

"This fall will be much different from the spring. We are all on the same page and everything is going to be more structured," Callahan said. 

Online training for teachers began Aug. 24 to help ensure that all teachers are prepared for this upcoming year and gave them more specific guidelines to follow. 

Callahan will be teaching third grade this year just as she did last year. 

"All of the third grade teachers and I have been having meetings and working together to get this school year going and planned," Callahan said. 

In the upcoming school year, there will be three hours of lesson time, followed by an hour of office hours in which students and parents will be able to have more one on one time with the teacher, if needed. Students will have around two hours of work time alone. 

"During my lessons, I'm planning to teach the students a concept and then have them go out in (online) breakout rooms to work together and get them socializing, and then we can come back and regroup and talk about the lesson," Callahan said.

In the daily three hours for lessons, subjects such as math, literature and writing will be covered. Other subjects such as art, science and social studies will be intertwined throughout the school week as well. 

"This year, we are planning to have an early morning recess and a lunch break for the students. It'll be good for them to have a break in between all of that learning," Callahan said. 

Teachers are allowed to teach from their own home as well as their classroom. 

"I'm looking forward to meeting my students and their families and establishing communication with them. I'm going to make sure all the needs of students are met and the trust between the parents and students is there. We're going to try and make it as similar as the regular school year," Callahan said. 

If instruction were to move to physical in-person classes, the school is preparing. 

"Our principal, superintendent and district are all working together for what it will look like when we return. We know that it will be socially distanced if we go back and other precautions will be put in place," Callahan said. 

Callahan feels secure and holds high hopes for this school year. 

"This year will be new for all of us and we're going to make it through by working hard and being flexible. I don't have any concerns about this upcoming school year. I feel confident that it will reopen with the children when it is safe to do so with the proper precautions," Callahan said. 

As San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) prepares to open the 2020-21 school year with online instruction for all students Monday, district leaders have announced plans to offer small, in-person learning sessions to students facing the most severe challenges. Elementary school students who have been uniquely identified by their teachers as experiencing learning loss may be offered appointments to receive in-person sessions. Participation will be voluntary.

The plan, “Phase One Appointment-Based Onsite Learning for the 2020-21 School Year,” is the result of continued collaboration with the San Diego Education Association (SDEA), and is aligned with reopening guidelines established with scientific experts from the University of California at San Diego that were released Aug. 10. The UCSD report called for a phased approach to reopening schools.

“We remain committed to following the science in designing our response to the COVID-19 crisis, including all of the recommendations we received from our expert panel of UCSD science and health professionals that included a phased return to in-person instruction,” Superintendent Cindy Marten said. “This is Phase One, which provides a measured approach to address the very real problem with learning loss, faced by our most disadvantaged students, while maintaining the strict standards put in place to protect the health and safety of all students, staff and community.”

Kisha Borden, who represents some 6,000 teachers as president of SDEA, said her members are eager to return to the classroom once safety conditions improve. In the meantime, she called the new plan to address learning loss a valuable first step.

“I believe this plan has been developed with the safety of educators and students in mind, and that it gives educators the lead in identifying those students who need extra support means,” Borden said. “We are working hard to strike the right balance between keeping everyone safe and making sure our students don't fall further behind. We hope that a safer and smaller scale approach will become the standard road map for other districts around the state.”

Under the plan to address student learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, students will be identified for participation based on several factors:

• Below standard, represented by an average academic mark of a 1 or 2 in Math or English Language Arts strands, on their Spring 2020 report card

• Students who do not have a Spring 2020 report card (incoming TK, K, or new students to the district) and do not make progress toward grade-level standards once schools open

• Special education students not meeting their IEP goals

• Special education students with intense support needs

• Students who have been recommended for an initial assessment for an IEP or require a triennial assessment and require standardized assessment that cannot be completed online for eligibility.

“Online learning has created new challenges for every student,” Superintendent Marten said. “We trust our educators to identify those students most in need of additional supports to overcome those challenges.”

Once identified for potential participation, educators will review students’ progress, using formative assessments, observations and information gathered from families. They will decide which students simply need changes to their online learning program, and which should move to appointment-based in-person learning. Decisions regarding transportation and student meals will follow.

Identification of participants will start with the new school year, with the first in-person sessions to be held as soon as late September. Students who participate in the in-person learning sessions will continue to receive online learning. The number of students who will be provided appointment-based onsite learning is contingent upon available site staff and resources.

“From the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we have said this virus may change how we operate, but it will not change who we are,” Board Vice President Richard Barrera said. “We are a district with equity at our core, and this new plan advances that goal of creating a more equitable school system.”

Both San Diego Unified and SDEA reaffirmed their decision to use a more stringent set of health and safety standards than those being used throughout the county. Leaders from San Diego Unified and UCSD announced their reopening guidelines on Aug. 10, when it also released plans to reopen school in phases.

The in-person learning-loss sessions will be conducted only in spaces with adequate air exchange, including MERV-13 air filters and/or portable ventilation units.

“Our goal continues to be reopening all of our schools for all of our students. It is tremendously encouraging that the virus has receded enough to begin phase one of that effort,” said Board President John Lee Evans. “This new plan for disadvantaged students proves we can be thoughtful both in our approach to the virus and in our effort to confront learning loss.”

Most people would hardly consider Matt Lawson's timing in the position to be lucky as he served as interim principal of Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) amid the March arrival of COVID-19. 

Lawson was selected to assume the position permanently in late July after working as vice principal for five years, meaning he'll be leading the campus through its first fully online start to a school year.

"It's going to be a unique year, to say the least,” Lawson said.

Current plans for online learning promise a full day of instruction, with a combination of live learning through programs like Zoom and time for students to work on assignments individually. 

Although students will not be on campus physically, Lawson promised he is working to produce an end-product that is as close to traditional learning as possible. This means fostering meaningful relationships between students and their teachers remotely.

"There are so many people feeling isolated and relationships are one of the most important factors in learning,” Lawson said.

The new principal taught math for nine years in San Diego and Massachusetts before he decided he wanted to work in administration – a decision that eventually launched him into masters and doctorate programs in educational leadership at San Diego State.

Lawson loved teaching – he said it was his passion – which is why he wanted to have a similar impact on a larger level.

"My main goal is that I felt like I was able to make an impact in the classroom, but I wanted to make one schoolwide,” he said. 

Despite the grueling workload, Lawson said he was thankful to have been able to pursue his education while serving in administrative positions at Mira Mesa High and SRHS.

"I was learning stuff in class that I could then implement the following day,” he said.

With the new school year around the corner, Lawson said many of the larger issues he would like to focus on are not new to SRHS, but may certainly be harder to address amid the pandemic.

Although SRHS is among San Diego's highest achieving campuses, Lawson said there are still unsettling discrepancies in learning outcomes among students of color and disabled students that could be deepened in the age of online learning.

This goes hand-in-hand with Lawson's larger goal of fostering a greater sense of inclusion on campus. That means making sure kids' emotions are addressed as often as their academics.

"COVID or not, the ultimate goal at Scripps Ranch High is to make sure we're serving all students and making sure they are getting ready to graduate and have success in their lives,” he said.

Joshua Way was hired to be the next principal at Thurgood Marshall Middle School (MMS) in February and was finally able to start serving in his new role May 12. 

Before coming to MMS, Way was the principal of Woodland Park Middle School in the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD). 

"When I got hired, I was in a unique position because I had a front row seat at three different districts. I was in SMUSD as well as entering San Diego Unified School District and since my kids go to school in the Carlsbad Unified School District, I had the opportunity to see how all three districts were handling COVID-19," Way said. 

He began his duties at MMS in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, his first challenge was planning the eighth-grade promotion ceremony.

"Due to COVID, we had pretty detailed parameters to begin with. So, I gathered a parent promotion committee, ASB and some staff and we came up with a plan. We wanted to make the most authentic promotion at the time," Way said. 

MMS eighth graders celebrated their promotion through a virtual ceremony. 

"We have a fantastic digital media program at Marshall, so that was great because the students and staff could both get involved. We had students share words of encouragement and inspiration as well as photos of themselves in the video. It turned out really nice and it was something we could be proud of," Way said. 

Way's current challenge remains planning the upcoming school year under the COVID-19 restrictions. 

"Our plans are to continue the same high-level standards of Marshall, just in a different way. We are redesigning the way we deliver instruction. This school year will be much different than our crisis pandemic teaching in March," Way said. 

After countless surveys and feedback from parents, students and staff, Way has nailed down what he wants to focus on through the upcoming school year. 

"What we felt was the most important takeaway from March was being consistent. This year we will be focusing on what students need to know and do, how we measure that progress, and how to support students when they don't achieve what they need to, and when they do achieve it, and how to provide them with more," Way said. 

Way wants to focus on making an online school year more user friendly for students and parents. 

"Students are used to walking into a classroom and looking on the board and finding information on what they have to do," he said. "So, now we are trying to streamline where and how students can find information even during online learning. We are trying to nail it down to one consistent platform for instruction and communication." 

For Way, the most important goal of the year is creating a meaningful connection between everyone such as peer to peer, staff to peer and staff to parent. 

"We are looking for ways to embed in the school day for students to get help outside of the classroom. We want to provide an outlet for students and parents to talk about how they are coping –and if they have any issues we can help with," Way said.

This year, Way will be providing an online Wellness Center that both parents and students can use.  

"We are going to have rigorous academics, but in that we want to make sure that our students and parents are supported emotionally and socially. We really want to build a culture of community and trust," he said. 

As a former Link Crew advisor at multiple schools, Way is looking to implement a mentorship program for incoming sixth graders and upperclassmen. 

"All incoming sixth graders will be linked with an upperclassman all year. These upperclassmen have already been selected because they have demonstrated leadership. They are going to get training so that they will be there to guide their sixth graders throughout the school year, especially during this tough time," Way said. 

Next school year, Way wants to fully implement Where Every Student Belongs (WEB). Way has been working closely with the district office, county and state officials for planning in case schools were to go back to in-person learning. 

"The district will be providing whatever safety equipment public health officials will be requiring for a safe return to school such as face masks or dividers. They are looking at various schedules that also help prevent the spread of COVID-19," Way said. 

He explained the many unique challenges he has faced due to the circumstances. 

"For me, any strategic planning requires a thorough understanding of the context. However, with a situation such as COVID, things are constantly changing, so it's hard to get an understanding of the context. I've done a lot of surveys and research to assess what parents, students and staff need the most," Way said. 

Other challenges he faces during this time are not always having the answers and missing his students. 

"I started in this field because I love kids and I love learning. Not having any students around has been really hard. Another thing that has been hard has been not having concrete answers. As educators, people look up to you for the answers. However, this situation has made that very difficult," Way said. 

He has extensive background in the field of education. However, when it comes to this unique situation and his position, he described what has prepared him the most. 

"I would say I have a lot of experience with culture and community by being the Link Crew advisor and helping with other programs in the past. I would also say that I have a lot in the way the system works. Working with the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) has really tuned me into the systems we have in schools," Way said.

As the new school year nears, Way cannot wait to see what is to come. 

"I have been so impressed by the level of engagement our staff has been putting in the summer and I cannot wait to see what they put together for the students. Most importantly though, I miss the students so much and am excited to get back into the swing of things," he said.

The new classroom: online learning from home

The 2020-21 school year will open  on Aug. 31 for Scripps Ranch students in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), but students will be learning from home on laptops, not on school campuses. 

This unusual public school year gets underway with online learning due to restrictions based on the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

Meanwhile, San Diego County was taken off the State’s COVID-19 watchlist Aug. 18 and is in the midst of a 14-day period in which its case rate must fall below the six thresholds set by State health officials. Should the county stay below those marks, schools would be allowed to physically reopen campuses, pending the decision of the school district. 

SDUSD would base its decision on strict standards adopted and developed in collaboration with health experts from the University of California, San Diego. SDUSD has its own set of case metrics as well as its own standards of physical safety measures, which must be in place before it will allow schools to reopen, according to an Aug. 10 district announcement.  

While SDUSD has been making contingency plans all summer, parents were active on social media sharing information. Some lined up tutors and enrolled their children in programs offering supplemental lessons. Others organized study pods and socially-distanced backyard learning groups. 

First day photos: Email a photo of your student on the first day of classes to Scripps Ranch News for publication in the September issue. Email photo, student’s name, grade and name of school to info@scrippsranchnews.com. 

(Aug. 10) The physical reopening of schools in the San Diego Unified School District hinges on improved public health conditions, focus on masks, proper ventilation, strict social distancing and critical classroom protections, according to an announcement from the district. The new standards are meant to protect students, staff and the community from COVID-19 with collaboration from UCSD experts. The district’s new standards are strict, which means physical classroom learning on campuses might be a long time away. The district already determined that the opening of the 2020-21 school year will be conducted using online learning only, beginning Aug. 31. Here is today’s statement from the school district:

The San Diego Unified School District will adopt strict new standards to protect students, staff and the community from the spread of COVID-19. The measures are being adopted and developed in consultation with top experts on multiple aspects of the pandemic from the University of California, San Diego. As a result, conditions for reopening local schools will be stricter than state standards, will proceed in phases, and will require critical protective measures including mandatory masks, proper ventilation, and strict social distancing, according to district leaders.

State standards for reopening schools already require a seven-day testing positivity rate of less than 8 percent and other factors, but the expert panel convened by San Diego Unified called for adding contact tracing metrics and other factors included in the County of San Diego health triggers. Before in-person schools can resume, strict safety protocols must also be in place. A complete list of recommended metrics and mitigations is attached to the end of this document.

“We consulted with the world’s leading experts on all aspects of this pandemic, because we wanted a comprehensive set of standards to create the safest possible environment for our students and staff,” said Dr. Howard Taras, UCSD professor and consulting pediatrician for San Diego Unified, who oversaw the expert panel. “The strength in these new standards comes precisely from this combination of factors. Taken together, they represent the strictest reasonable conditions for safety when operations eventually resume.”

Board President Dr. John Lee Evans said the new standards reflect the Board’s commitment to let science dictate the pace and process for reopening schools.

“The health and safety of our students and staff have been at the heart of every decision we have made since the start of this crisis,” Evans said. “We closed classrooms before the rest of the State realized it was the right thing to do. We made that decision to save lives. In the same way, our new health standards go farther than the rest of the state, and it is the right thing to do, because it will save lives. These metrics will help lead our continued planning for an eventual safe reopening.”

The San Diego Unified health and safety standards eliminated some of the confusing and contradictory language regarding masks and social distancing in guidance produced by other agencies. Masks will be required for all students and staff on San Diego Unified campuses.

“The advice we heard most clearly from the public health experts is that going back to school must be a community-wide effort,” said Board Vice President Richard Barrera. “Everyone has to hold themselves accountable to the highest safety standards if we truly want to get this virus under control so our students can get back to school. That means: wear a mask, practice social distancing and maintain good hygiene, because we truly are all in this together.”

Superintendent Cindy Marten said schools will be ready to reopen when conditions in the community allow them to do so. She announced the purchase of more than $11 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) and said the district has received some 200,000 masks in child and adult sizes from the state, along with 14,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. All schools, Marten said, will follow the strict standards for reopening advised by the UCSD experts.

“The COVID-19 crisis has radically changed every part of our lives, and schools are no different. We must adapt to this new reality because it may be with us for years to come. That is why we are taking every step necessary to reopen in the safest, most responsible way possible,” Superintendent Marten said.

Marten said she shared the new health and safety guidelines on a morning call with principals from across San Diego Unified and highlighted masks, social distancing and air quality as the most important factors schools must reassess in light of the new standards. Principals, administrators, educators, and students, she said, are all eager to get back to the classroom, although they recognize that is not possible at this point in time.

“The fact our country has just passed another grim milestone in the history of this disease – more than 5 million confirmed cases, makes it clear this is not yet the right time to begin a phased reopening, but our schools will be ready when that time comes,” Marten said.

President of the San Diego Education Association (SDEA) Kisha Borden agreed with the decision, previously announced, that San Diego Unified will start the new school year online.

“We want to get back into our classrooms with our students and we need the support of the entire community to do the right thing by wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, and listening to the science. The scientific community has made it clear there are no shortcuts on the road to safely reopening schools. We have a long road ahead of us, but we’re doing the right things to keep everyone safe,” Borden said.

She added, “Even as our colleagues, the scientists and the school administrators, challenge themselves to rethink what schools look like inside and outside, our professional educators are ready to provide the best possible online experience for our students to start the school year.”

The San Diego Unified Council of PTAs also backed the science-based approach. “The health and safety of children, families & school staff are of the utmost importance at this time,” said Mahogany Taylor, President and Derick Boerner, Immediate Past President. “We appreciate the school district’s efforts in working with the medical community to lay out clear guidelines for when our schools can safely reopen for in-person instruction. Science should guide the reopening plans as we prepare the upcoming school year. We feel the District is providing that in the message today. We look forward to the continued partnership that PTA has with SDUSD as we prepare to start another year of learning for our children.”

Conditions for full reopening
As of Aug. 10; to be revised under consultation as science advances:

State criteria
*   14-day case rate of <100/100,000; Measured using date of illness onset with a 3-day lag County = calculated with County of San Diego data State

*   Testing positivity rate of <8% of positive tests as a percent of total tests, measured using specimen collection date in a 7-day period with a 7-day lag

*   Less than 10% increase in the average number of confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized

*   Availability of >20% of staffed ICU beds and of >25% of ventilators

Additional (primarily County) criteria
*   Fewer than 7 outbreaks over a 7-day period

*   More than 70% of investigations are initiated within 24 hours of notification of a positive case (also over a 7-day period)

*   Contact tracers make a first contact attempt for more than 70% of close contacts of new positive cases within 24 hours of identification

*   Community Outbreaks: Fewer than seven new outbreaks in community settings in a 7-day period

*   Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-like illness reported within a 14-day period

*   Hospital capacity: Less than 80% capacity for all hospital beds in the county

*   PPE Supply: more than 50% of hospitals have at least a 22-day supply of PPE

*   Homeless Population: Temporary shelter available for more than 15% of homeless population

School infrastructure and supplies
*   All adults and children in school buildings wear a face covering or mask, unless eating, or the person is alone in a room

*   Face shields, disposable gloves and gowns provided for those who have anticipated contact with stool, urine, saliva, blood of students

*   For health office staff who are assessing and managing with students with symptoms, they will be given surgical-style masks and face shields (and with fit-tested N95 masks, as available in community), as per Cal-OSHA regulations

*   Rooms that do not have good natural ventilation and no MERV 13 filter in the HVAC system equipped with portable air cleaners, with proper ‘clean air delivery rate’ (CADR)

*   All public spaces reconfigured to allow for physical distancing measures, including appropriate signage and barriers as needed

*   Isolation areas for students, staff with symptoms to await ride home

*   Restrooms marked outside of entry for the maximum number of users

*   Ample supplies of disinfectant to provide for daily cleaning of handrails on stairs, ramps, and all items in classrooms and touchable objects throughout

*   Ample supplies of hand sanitizers, sinks and/or handwashing stations placed strategically on campus and administrative buildings

*   Training materials tailored for parents, staff and students on safety protocols

*   No-touch thermometers for screening

This year's valedictorians at Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) are Sophia Milanov and Shravya Sanigepalli, each ending their senior year with a 4.83 grade point average.

Following the unusual completion of their senior year which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, these top students now have a chance to describe their futures and express their thoughts. 

Sophia Milanov: Valedictorian Sophia Milanov will be attending UC Berkeley and plans to study business administration. At Berkeley, Milanov hopes to rush for a sorority as well as join clubs and acquire internships that are related to her major. 

Throughout her time at SRHS, Milanov played junior varsity volleyball for two years and played varsity badminton for three years. In her junior year, Milanov joined Environmental Club and became secretary her senior year. She also started a club of her own during junior year for STEM tutoring and was president. Going into her senior year, she began working at Starbucks and is still employed. 

"I just joined clubs and sports that interested me and that really helped me and made high school a
better experience," Milanov said. 

She attributes her success to many people such as her parents, her counselor Leslie McDonald and her freshman English teacher Andrew Laverty. 

"I don't think I would be anywhere without my parents. I always wanted to be valedictorian, it was just something I wanted to achieve for myself and my parents have always been
a great support system. As well as my parents, my counselor Ms. McDonald was always there for me not only academically, but also emotionally and mentally. Lastly, my English teacher Mr. Laverty was always encouraging and believing in me. His class was the first class I struggled with, but he pushed me to do better and prepared me a lot for what was to come," Milanov said. 

As part of the class of 2020, Milanov graduated under the restrictions of COVID-19.

"I think the last semester of high school was something we all anticipated, but it got taken away from us. We ended up missing a lot, but I don't think that will stop us in the future. As a whole, I think it has made us stronger," Milanov said. 

A message Milanov would like to share with her fellow graduates: "2020 has been a rough year and we have been through the most by far. However, now is your chance to start over and go follow your dreams. Following your dreams will take you where you are meant to be," Milanov said. 

Shravya Sanigepalli: Valedictorian Shravya Sanigepalli will be attending UC San Diego (UCSD) on a Regents scholarship and plans to study ecology and go into pre-med. At UCSD, Sanigepalli wants to do research, volunteer work in hospitals, study abroad and join clubs such as "Crochet for
Charity."

This September, Sanigepalli will be participating in a lab regarding the effects of TB on zebrafish at UCSD. 

Throughout her time at SRHS, Sanigepalli played varsity badminton for all four years and started Pen
Pals for Patients in her junior year – and was co-president. In her sophomore year, Sanigepalli was part of a lab at San Diego State University relating to genes. In her junior year, she was involved in a lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys relating to colorectal cancer. She also began working at Wild Birds Unlimited, going into her senior year and is still employed.

Sanigepalli attributes her success to her parents, friends and her AP biology teacher Patricia Fowler. 

"My parents encouraged me throughout my whole journey, and I can't thank them enough. Alongside my parents, my friends were always supportive and without them I really would not know what was going on. Most of all though, my AP biology teacher, Ms. Fowler was the one who inspired me to do biology – and she was such a great influence," Sanigepalli said. 

Even though Sanigepalli graduated under COVID-19 and its restrictions, she doesn't consider it a setback. 

"We might not have gotten the traditional graduation, but I think that makes our class even more special. We were the first to graduate with a drive-thru graduation and we are for sure going to make a mark in history," Sanigepalli said. 

A few words Sanigepalli would like to share with her graduating class: "We've been through so much and because of that the class of 2020 should be the catalyst for change. There is so much that our class will achieve that no other class before us has done and we are going to make a big difference in the world. As long as you follow your flow, everything will turn out fine," Sanigepalli said. 

Valedictorians at SRHS are those who have the highest weighted cumulative grade point average calculated from sophomore to senior year. 

"I'm impressed with both Sophia and Shravya and their qualities as people," SRHS interim principal
Matt Lawson said. "I am so happy that they are representing SRHS. I want them to grow up and be successful, but most of all happy and accomplish their goals."

(July 26) Leaders from the San Diego Unified School District have called on the San Diego City Council to extend protections for renters through winter until March 31, 2021. The City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider a proposal from Council President Georgette Gómez that gives renters additional time to pay back rent without the fear of being made homeless by the COVID-19 recession. San Diego Unified leaders made the announcement as California approaches the grim milestone of 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. San Diego County has surpassed 500 COVID-19 deaths.

“We know our families are some of the hardest working people in San Diego, and they should not lose their homes because they have lost their jobs due to a national recession caused by a global pandemic,” said Board President John Lee Evans. “Certainly, the COVID-19 crisis has created enough misery in our community without adding to its toll.”

The uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 virus required San Diego Unified to announce plans to start the new school year online on Aug. 31. The current ban on residential evictions expires a month later on Sept. 30.

“So long as the virus continues to spiral out of control, it will not be safe for schools to reopen for all students. That means many families are using their apartments and homes as classrooms, so their students can continue with their education online. This measure from President Gómez will protect these families and give our students the stability they desperately need and deserve,” said Board Vice President Richard Barrera.

School leaders said there was added urgency for the Council to take action given the end of federal unemployment benefits today. The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments of $600 per week officially end today, July 26.

“Time and again, throughout this crisis, San Diegans have come together to take care of one another. We did that as a school district, when we provided more than 3 million meals to hungry families. The City Council did that when it put a temporary halt to evictions in March,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “With federal unemployment benefits ending for thousands of San Diegans, it is time for us to come together once again and protect the most vulnerable among us.”

The CARES Act — the $2.2 trillion stimulus package — authorized $600 a week of enhanced unemployment benefits. Under the CARES Act, these benefits officially expire July 31, 2020. However, according to the U.S. Labor Department states can pay unemployment benefits no later than the week ending one week before July 31, 2020. Since July 31 is not a Saturday or Sunday, this means the week prior marks the end of these supplemental benefits, which are paid weekly or bi-weekly ending on a Saturday or Sunday. For all states, except New York, the end date was, July 25. New York’s end-date would be today, July 26.

(July 13) The San Diego Unified School District announced it will hold online classes only as the 2020-21 school year starts in August. There will be no physical return to school campuses as classes begin next month due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Los Angeles Unified School District and the San Diego Unified School District issued the following joint statement regarding the online start to this school year:

On March 13, four months ago today, we made the difficult decision to close our schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Much has changed since that time: New research is available, additional information on school safety experiences from around the world, and updated health guidelines from state and county leaders.

Unfortunately, much of the research is incomplete and many of the guidelines are vague and contradictory. One fact is clear: those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available. California has neither. The skyrocketing infection rates of the past few weeks make it clear the pandemic is not under control.

Therefore, we are announcing that the new school year will start online only. Instruction will resume on Aug. 18 in Los Angeles Unified and Aug. 31 in San Diego Unified, as previously scheduled. Both districts will continue planning for a return to in-person learning during the 2020-21 academic year as soon as public health conditions allow.

This announcement represents a significant disappointment for the many thousands of teachers, administrators and support staff who were looking forward to welcoming students back in August. It is obviously an even greater disappointment to the many parents who are anxious for their students to resume their education. Most of all, this decision will impact our students in ways that researchers will take years to understand.

Our leaders owe it to all of those impacted by the COVID-19 closures to increase the pace of their work. No one should use the delay in the reopening of classrooms as a reason to relax. The coronavirus has not taken a summer vacation, as many had hoped. Indeed, the virus has accelerated its attacks on our community.

The federal government must provide schools with the resources we need to reopen in a responsible manner.

In the past four months, we have provided more than 47 million meals to families, distributed more than 250,000 computers to students and trained more than 35,000 educators in online learning. In the weeks ahead, we plan to continue this breakneck pace.

• The school year will resume on schedule.
• Teachers will receive expanded training in online education to better meet the needs of students.
• Students will receive additional training at the start of the year to become better online learners.
• Online supports for parents will be increased to make it easier for them to participate in the education of their students.
• Principals will continue customized planning for the safest possible reopening this fall.
• Free meals will continue to be provided at the current distribution stations.

On Friday, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed course and said it was no longer confident that opening schools in the middle of a public health crisis is the best option for children. That reversal symbolizes the speed with which schools continue to receive vague and conflicting information from the medical and scientific communities. It is clear our two systems will need to create our own source for reliable scientific information.

Los Angeles Unified plans to update the community in early August. San Diego Unified will provide a public assessment on Aug. 10 of how soon (after the first week of school) a physical return to class would be possible. That assessment will be based on local measures of whether the virus is sufficiently under control, as well as progress on testing and federal action on funding. On Aug. 10, San Diego Unified will also outline the physical measures planned for each school to guard against the pandemic and detail the online learning program for the 2020-21 academic year.

(June 30) The San Diego Unified Board of Education unanimously approved a balanced budget for the upcoming school year. No significant layoffs or staff adjustments were required to balance the district budget this year. Highlights of the approved measure include a $45 million fund for COVID-19 emergency expenditures. District leaders said those funds will pave the way for reopening schools on schedule on Aug. 31, including options for on-campus and online learning.

“The unanimous vote this evening by the Board of Education reflects our collective confidence that we can open schools in a timely manner, on schedule, on Aug. 31, with outstanding options for students who want to be on campus, as well as those who wish to learn from home,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “The COVID-19 crisis is the biggest adaptive challenge to public education of our lifetimes, and we are ready to meet the challenge.”

Superintendent Marten introduced the budget item by noting the numbers have improved since May when Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised state budget. Working with the governor and the entire San Diego legislative delegation, school leaders successfully advocated for changes in the state budget, including:

• Undoing a 10 percent cut to Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) estimated at about $100 million as proposed in the 2020-21 May Revise and instead utilizing deferrals and federal advocacy to mitigate cuts;
• Securing learning loss funds to cover COVID-19 costs and to support reopening of schools, which totaled $91.8 million for San Diego Unified;
• Adopting a pension buydown of employer contribution rates for 2020-21 and 2021-22, and a CalSTRS pension rate freeze for 2020-21, which amounts to an estimated savings of $17 million for San Diego Unified in the next school year;
• Advocating for special education funding based on the moderate-to-severe disability of students, which resulted in the allocation of $100 million for the low-incidence pool add-on that provides $2.4 million for San Diego Unified.

Members of the Board of Education also emphasized the need for continued advocacy at the federal level. They have called for the U.S. Senate to follow the House of Representatives in passing the HEROES Act, which provides an additional $58 billion to schools nationwide.