Castlemont Elementary School

Planning for Safe Return to In-person Instruction

District to incorporate new requirements into plans for new school year

This week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued guidance that applies CDC’s updated recommendations to the California context. The foundational principle of this guidance is that all students must have access to safe, full in-person instruction for as much instructional time as possible  in the 2021-22 school year. 

The guidance places a strong emphasis on virus-mitigating measures, such as vaccinations, masking, and testing.

“We are so pleased that we will be able to bring back all students, TK-8, for full time instruction,” said Campbell Union School District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. “We are looking closely at the requirements in the CDPH guidance and pending legislation to see what revisions are needed in our School Reopening Plan.

“Because our community has low community spread and high vaccination rates, we anticipate that our students and adults will be wearing face covering indoors, and that face coverings will be optional outdoors,” she said. “Of course, if conditions change, we will adjust the restrictions accordingly.”

Both the CDPH and the CDC K-12 School Guidance cite recent evidence that indicates that in-person instruction can occur safely without minimum physical distancing requirements when other mitigation strategies, primarily masking, are fully implemented, according to the CDPH.

“Masks are one of the most effective and simplest safety mitigation layers to prevent in-school transmission of COVID-19 infections and to support full time in-person instruction in K-12 schools,” the guidance states.

There is also pending legislation (AB 130) that discusses providing independent study for those students whose health would be at risk by participating in in-person instruction. District staff is monitoring this evolving legislation closely to incorporate any new requirements into its Reopening Plan. District families will receive more information about the plan by the end of July, and the Governing Board will receive an update at its August 5th meeting.

Looking for other back-to-school information? 

Schools and the District will post details—such as arrival and dismissal times—on their websites over the coming weeks and will email other specifics to families in early August.