Dear AUHSD Parents & Guardians,

Thank you for your partnership as we navigate this current Omicron variant COVID-19 surge. The collective responsibility of our families with testing and keeping students home when COVID-19 positive or with symptoms has been a critical part of maintaining safe school environments and our full in-person instructional program during this surge. Just as the new COVID-19 confirmed case rate in Contra Costa County seems to have just peaked, our school positive case rates seems to have peaked early last week. Our continued adherence to our risk-mitigation strategies will undoubtedly be essential for the coming weeks as we come down the backside of this winter surge and risk remains elevated.
 
New Contact Tracing Guidance
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) modified the guidance for K-12 schools in California last week. Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) supported the changes and our implementation. The most notable change is that we are moving from our traditional individual-based contact tracing systems to a group tracing method. This means that the tracing will be more prompt, but less precise.
 
Our schools are now notifying the parents/guardians of students who likely spent more than a cumulative total of 15 minutes within a 24-hour time period in a shared indoor airspace (i.e., classroom) with someone with COVID-19 during the period of infectiousness. This method is a reflection of a movement into a new phase relative to exposure to and living with the coronavirus. The letter will advise the parent/guardian to monitor for symptoms and have recommendations relative to testing. There will be no more quarantine in schools due to exposure. As we come out of this surge, it is quite possible you will receive many of these notifications. We ask for your patience as we implement this new system and encourage you to take responsible actions with your student.
 
Virtual Open House
With the uncertainty of the current COVID-19 surge and in an abundance of caution for campus safety, all schools will be holding Open House through an online presentation. Due to the planning time needed for in-person or online events and the time-sensitive nature of the evening with course selection, it was important to make the decision now. While the virtual event is not ideal, we think it will allow for the greatest participation. Acalanes, Campolindo, Las Lomas and Miramonte High Schools will hold their event in the evening of Thursday, January 27. The Acalanes Center for Independent Study will hold their event on Wednesday, January 26. More information will be released by our schools as the date approaches.
 
Gratitude
Review of school data by public health experts informs us that schools remain one of the safest places for our youth to be due to the multi-layered, risk-mitigation efforts. We know this is also due to our partnership with our parent community. Thank you for your continued support for our school efforts and keeping our schools safe places for both students and staff.


Sincerely,

John Nickerson
Superintendent