August 6th
Debra Duardo, M.S.W., Ed.D.
Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools

LACOE has been dedicated to providing guidance, expertise and support to the county's 80 districts during the COVID-19 pandemic. We're committed to ensuring that our education community has the most current information on which to base their planning and decisionmaking.

To that end, we have just released an updated edition of the School Reopening Framework originally published in May. The update reflects current mandates and conditions affecting public schools.

An exciting new feature are communications tools and a planning guide to help districts better engage with stakeholders. Also provided are templates for a variety of COVID-related communications to help streamline this essential work for our districts.

I am grateful for the ongoing support of the LA County Superintendents Task Force in developing the guidelines. Information and links to the materials are provided below.
School Reopening Framework - Updated Edition Now Available
LACOE has released the second edition of its comprehensive framework for reopening schools in the 2020-21 academic year.

Updated guidance is provided based on new requirements for public schools. The framework continues to focus on five areas for districts to consider: high-quality instruction, health and safety, social-emotional support systems, family and community engagement and operations. Considerations for each area have been updated to reflect current mandates and conditions.

New in the second edition is a comprehensive planning guide to help districts engage with stakeholders. LACOE and the County Department of Public Health partnered to develop “learning together safely” messages and graphics for schools to use. A toolkit includes social graphics, signage for schools when they return, health screening flow charts and examples of messages to parents. Communications tools and templates have been translated into Spanish, Chinese and Armenian.

View and download:
Public Health Update

  • Youth Sports: The LA County Dept. of Public Health has revised their guidance to allow school sports teams to do conditioning and skill-building activities at school. Activities must be done outside in small groups and follow protocols. No team practices are allowed. (Youth Sports Protocol to be posted on DPH website.)
Accountability, Support & Monitoring
The California Department of Education has released a template and instructions for the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan. It is located on the CDE website at Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan.

LACOE has developed a Coordinated Support Guide to the Learning Continuity Plan, which is included in the second edition of the Planning Framework for the 2020-21 School Year. This guide aligns each required component of the plan to professional development opportunities and other key resources.

In addition, LACOE’s LCAP unit will host a Zoom meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, at 9:00 am to provide districts with materials to assist with plan development, engagement and approval and to review required plan contents.

LACOE will also address questions. After reviewing the template and instructions and participating in the CDE webinars, please submit questions regarding the plan to: Learning Continuity Plan Questions for LACOE.

For additional support, please contact the LCAP Unit at LCAP@lacoe.edu.
Census 2020
LACOE’s Census team has been supporting districts with outreach primarily to hard-to-count communities. School staff and teachers are trusted messengers, and the 2020 Census message must continue to be included in communication with families. 
  
The director of the U.S. Census Bureau issued a statement this week that raises the urgency of our collective action. Field data collection and self-responses will conclude Sept. 30 — 31 days shorter than the original deadline. As of August 4, 40.5 percent of LA County households have yet to respond to the Census. That could mean a 40.5-percent budget cut to LA County for the next 10 years. 
 
Following is information about Census outreach events and tools for engagement: 
  
  • LA County Census Chalkathon — Aug. 17 to Sept. 7: In partnership with the County, LACOE is leading a three-week event for students and families to create sidewalk art for the Census. There will be online giveaways, teaching videos and professional artists creating art in public spaces and parks. Read more about this countywide outreach event in the LACOE Newsroom announcement and share the Chalkathon event on Facebook. 

  
For more information regarding resources, the Chalkathon and requests for Census presentations at parent town halls and meetings, contact Esmeralda X Flores, Census Program Specialist, at flores_esmeralda@lacoe.edu or by phone at (562) 774-6991.
Child Care
  • Districts have inquired whether student supervision centers could be set up on school campuses for children of teachers and staff to complete distance learning assignments while their parents are required to be on campus and, if so, what protocols will need to be followed. If it’s for children of teachers and staff, this can be done without a child care license. County Public Health is finalizing protocols. 

  • Districts have inquired whether a license-exempt daycare program that operated before- and afterschool programs prior to COVID-19 can now operate a full-day program. Guidance is still needed from the state on this; County Public Health is hopeful that such guidance will be released soon. Certain regulations will need to be waived or interpreted by the state for this to be allowed as a license-exempt program. For licensed early childhood education providers, the state has said that licensed programs may continue onsite if the district is willing. These programs must still adhere to specific protocols for such programs issued by Public Health. County Public Health guidance for ECE 
 
 
  • Referrals to child care can also be accessed at lacoe.edu/childcare or by calling toll-free (888) 92-CHILD [1-888-922-4453].
Curriculum & Instruction
LACOE’s Curriculum & Instructional Services Reading Language Arts unit is offering a year-long consortium project titled “Getting Reading Right.” Kindergarten through third-grade teachers are invited to join the consortium to work on early reading instruction throughout this academic year.

Participants will meet monthly to study the science of reading and work together to improve instruction in foundational skills and comprehension. Especially with distance learning, early reading needs laser-like focus and solid instructional practices. Teachers must commit to attending a monthly one-hour online meeting and completing the corresponding reading activities.
Resources for Districts & Schools
120 Digital Resources for Home-Schooling (Teach.com) click here

Child Protection Hotline Digital Toolkit (DCFS) click here

From Crisis to Opportunity: Recovering California's Commitment to Equity (Education Trust-West) click here

Resilience in School Environments (Alliance for a Healthier Generation) click here
African American teen girl wearing headphones learning language online_ using laptop_ looking at screen_ doing school tasks at home_ writing notes_ listening to lecture or music_ distance education