Dear PUSD Community,
We are committed to having our planning for the start of the 2020-2021 school year be a collaborative process with all stakeholders. This unprecedented time presents many opportunities and challenges, and I am confident in our ability to come together as a community to identify solutions to continue to serve our students in delivering high quality education.
Our team has assembled a number of robust committees that include principals and District leaders, teachers, classified staff, parents/guardians, students, and community members who are working tirelessly to review research and how education is being delivered worldwide in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, we have heard from thousands of parents/guardians, students and staff through our online survey and virtual town halls. Please find links to town hall recordings as well as frequently asked questions and input gathered through our engagement process. All of this information, as well as additional resources are posted to our
Beginning the 2020-21 School Year Together Web Page
.
The data collected as well as your questions and concerns are incredibly valuable in informing our School Re-Opening Planning Committee as we plan for multiple models of learning options for our families as we move closer to Fall 2020. Our current planning timeline is:
May 18 - 29:
Stakeholder engagement meetings begin
June 1 - 26:
Stakeholder meetings continue, plans modified per ACPHD guidance, Independent Study Program expanded, instructional expectations refined
June 29 - July 17:
Plans finalized and shared with stakeholders and Board of Trustees, staffing adjustments made, instructional delivery model(s) determined
July 20 - Aug. 6:
Bell schedules determined, sites plan for beginning of the year, professional development created for staff and faculty
Aug. 7 - Aug. 11
- Teacher professional development day (Aug 7)
- Teachers “return” (Aug 10); School begins (Aug 11)
- Device distribution continues
As we continue our collaborative process, it’s important to remember relevant constraints from the California Department of Education, as well as from our County Public Health Department, which all school districts in the State of California must consider. To ensure the safety of our students, staff and community at large, we are working under the current guidelines from these agencies. This is a fluid situation. We will continue to monitor communications from these agencies and be prepared to adjust plans accordingly.
As you can imagine, there are significant logistical issues - but we are embracing these challenges as opportunities to redesign and personalize education to best meet our students’ needs. We understand and share your frustration in managing the unknowns, and we will continue to provide support that best meets the needs of our students and families.
We will continue to update information we share with you as we receive new guidance, as well as provide you with opportunities to engage with us through virtual town halls.
We invite you to join us at our next Virtual Town Hall on Monday, June 22 at 5 p.m. (click this link to join:
https://pleasantonusd.zoom.us/j/96558299921
) when we will share the most current information and plan for beginning of the 2020-2021 school year together.
Sincerely,
David Haglund
Superintendent of Schools
