July 30, 2021
Dear Superintendents and Charter School Leaders,

I am writing with several updates since my last message.

Grade Change Policy Requirements (AB 104): Notification Deadline July 31
Per the grading change policy provision included in Assembly Bill 104, the application template to request a grade change, the list of post-secondary institutions that accept a transcript with pass/no pass grades, and a statement indicating that some post-secondary institutions may not accept pass/no pass grades are to be posted on district websites and provided to parents in writing by July 31. SDCOE has revised its template parent letter to include each of these requirements.

Parents/guardians or students will have 15 days from the day you share the links and information to submit the application. AB 104 states that local educational agencies (LEAs) shall not honor grade change requests after 15 days. LEAs will have 15 days from the day the grade change application is received to change the transcript and notify the pupil and the pupil's parent/guardian of the change.

Summary of New School Year Requirements
There are many new legislative requirements, including AB 104 and AB 130, that districts and schools are required to comply with as they open schools. SDCOE has developed a summary of requirements along with supporting resources to assist LEAs in completing these. SDCOE will continue to provide information and resources on a regular basis and field questions you may have.

UCSD School of Medicine and Rady Children’s Hospital Urge Measures to Reduce the Need for Quarantine
With new cases surging in the county, schools that have already started their school year are seeing much higher numbers of close contacts associated with each COVID-19 case on campus. Even with a new “modified” quarantine option that allows students to remain on campus with testing twice a week, high volumes of students identified as close contacts could overwhelm a school’s capacity to keep up with testing, tracking, and contact tracing. This challenge represents the most significant threat to in-person instruction for the coming year. Please review this letter from Dr. Howard Taras, Dr. John Bradley, and Dr. Alice Pong, and consider their recommendations in your plans for this year.

Decision Tree Redesigned to Reflect Updated Guidance
The COVID-19 Decision Tree has been redesigned to incorporate updated guidance on quarantine, isolation, and testing. The new document includes flow charts for symptom screening and quarantine options, detailed information to support the quarantine options, and information on the types of testing that can be used with people who are symptomatic and to modify quarantine. The English version is available on the SDCOE COVID-19 website and the Spanish version will be made available soon.

Additional updates will be made next week based on data in the latest FAQ released today by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) around its K-12 Schools Guidance.

CDC Updates Face Covering Guidance for K-12 School Settings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending that all individuals in the K-12 school setting, including teachers, staff, students, and visitors, wear face coverings while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. This change puts the CDC guidance for face coverings in the school setting in alignment with both the CDPH and the American Academy of Pediatrics. SDCOE has created a template parent letter to assist you in sharing this news with families.

Parent and Employee Communication Materials
SDCOE has updated several template letters to assist you in communicating with parents and employees about COVID-19. Based on the latest guidance, we’ve revised template letters in English and Spanish for notifying the school community of a positive COVID-19 individual, the letter sent to parents if their student is identified as a close contact of an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, and the employee notification letter sent to individuals identified as a close contact.

Sharp HealthCare School Vaccination Clinics
Sharp HealthCare is ready and willing to provide vaccination clinics at your school site. Sharp has the capacity and the vaccine supply to provide clinics almost anywhere in the county. If you can provide an indoor space (or shaded outdoor space) with access to power, and tables and chairs (for the registration, vaccination, and 15-minute monitoring areas), they’ll provide everything else. Individuals visiting your clinic will be able to make appointments in advance using MyTurn or just walk in. Providing your school community with the opportunity to get vaccinated is a great way to protect them. For more information on how you can arrange to have Sharp HealthCare provide a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for your school community, please contact Jade Cydell at Jade.Cydell@sharp.com.

Thank you for all that you do. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Paul

Dr. Paul Gothold
San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
phone: 858-295-6641