Dear Superintendents and School Leaders,
I'm writing with updates on several COVID-19-related items that have arisen since my last message.
State Dashboard Updates
All school districts, charter schools, and private schools serving grades TK-12 are required to report certain information on their reopening status to the state and county. These are two separate reports, with different mechanisms for reporting data.
The state has shared two updates on the statewide data collection:
- On Monday, May 24, a second survey will be available through the state survey portal. All sites participating in the federal School Breakfast Program or National School Lunch Program will need to complete the Pandemic EBT survey in addition to the ongoing survey on school instructional modes. This will be a one-time collection of data to report on the primary mode of instruction by month across the 2020-21 school year and must be submitted by June 4.
- Beginning in June, the ongoing survey on school instructional modes will include student enrollment counts by school for various summer programs offered by local educational agencies (LEAs). As mandated by Assembly Bill 86, LEAs will need to continue submitting this survey even if they are not offering summer programs.
Additional information and links to resources, instructions, and assistance can be found in
this update from the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.
Consent Process for Vaccinating Minors 12 to 17
It’s important to share with students and parents/guardians that parental consent is necessary for minors under the age of 18 to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.
Eligible minors may visit a vaccination site without an appointment or documentation proving identity or age as long as a parent, legal guardian, or relative caregiver is with them at the site. If a minor will not have an adult present with them at the vaccination site, an appointment needs to be made, and their parent or legal guardian will need to complete the Consent Form for Minors (available in
English and
Spanish) to provide their consent in advance. The County of San Diego
vaccination website explains these requirements in more detail.
Confronting COVID-19-Related Harassment in Schools
Harassment and other discrimination stemming from prejudice and unfounded fears about the coronavirus can have devastating effects on students and their families. To help educators and families confront this issue, the U.S. Department of Education has released a
fact sheet developed by the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education.
These governmental organizations report that during the pandemic, false information and harmful statements about Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have led to increasing acts of intolerance across the nation — from verbal harassment to violence. In schools around the country, AAPI students have reported bullying and harassment by classmates because of their race or national origin, including their ethnicity, ancestry, and language.
Thank you for all you are doing during these unprecedented times. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need support.
Sincerely,
Paul
Dr. Paul Gothold
San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
phone: 858-295-6641
