Distance learning to continue through Oct. 23
In a letter dated Sept. 25, Windsor Unified School District (WUSD) Superintendent Jeremy Decker informed families that the district would continue on distance learning through the end of October. The previous deadline for next steps was Sept. 25, so the district announced its new plans.
“At this time, my report to you is that the district will continue in distance learning through at least Oct. 23, 2020, but most likely longer,” Decker said in the letter. “There are many factors for this, and the majority are summed up with Sonoma County currently still being in the ‘purple’ tier. If a county resides in the purple tier, by definition, it means that COVID-19 is considered ‘widespread’ throughout the county.
“Many of you might be hearing about school districts in other counties close by opening schools in some form,” he continued. “Those counties are operating very differently from us and are not easily comparable as they are in the red or orange tiers. This means that the coronavirus is not as widespread in their county as it is in Sonoma County. As Sonoma County is still in the purple tier, the Windsor Unified School District is not allowed to bring students back for in-person instruction without a waiver being issued from the Sonoma County Public Health Officer.”
Decker goes on to say the WUSD would not be eligible for a waiver due to its size. He added once the county moves into a lower tier, it must remain there for two weeks, and then two weeks after that schools would be able to reopen.
The letter goes to list the various barriers that Sonoma County is facing for returning to in-person learning of any kind. According to Decker, these include:
Staff and student safety: District administration and teachers are currently working together to establish protocols that will ensure the safety of both students and staff, as well as those family members at home who are coming into direct contact with our students and staff. This has been an ongoing endeavor, but as things have changed with COVID-19 the district has had to re-work its safety plans.
Asymptomatic students: There is increasing evidence that many students who have COVID-19 will not show any symptoms. As such, it will be extremely difficult to ensure that all students attending in person classes are COVID-19 negative. According to Decker, University of California at San Francisco has created a calculator that shows the probability of an asymptomatic student being present in school based on the specific infection rate of the county. For districts in the purple tier, the risk in a group of 100 that at least 1 child will have COVID-19 is 57.5 %.
Contact tracing: As of Sept. 11, the school district is now responsible for conducting all contact tracing instead of Sonoma County Public Health. This means that the district is now required to oversee the contact tracing for over 5,000 people. Up until Sept. 11, this was not the responsibility of the district. According to Decker, they are currently getting staff members trained to assess the feasibility of conducting our own contact tracing.
Staff testing: As of Sept. 11, the school district is now also responsible to manage all aspects of staff testing for COVID-19. This means that they are now responsible for finding the testing facilities, paying for testing and monitoring the results. Up until Sept. 11, this was not the responsibility of the district. State law requires that 100% of staff needs to be tested every two months. The district is currently assessing the feasibility of managing staff testing with no assistance from Sonoma County Public Health.
Liability coverage: The district’s insurance provider specifically excludes communicable disease. Therefore, there is no coverage for any claims-related costs resulting from the spread of the COVID-19. This means that lawsuits can be brought forward against the school district for COVID-19-related issues and the legal fees for the district to potentially defend itself would have to come directly from the general fund.
“The district is actively working to overcome these barriers, but many of them are proving very difficult. Due to Sonoma County continuing in the purple tier, and many of the aforementioned barriers to returning still not being solved, Windsor Unified will be remaining in distance learning and it is highly unlikely that our students will be returning for in-person instruction prior to winter break,” the letter concludes. “Regardless, we are committed to exploring all options, and using the most up to date data, before making that final determination.”
Decker finishes the letter by stating he’s aware families would prefer greater clarity, but the number of barriers to overcome makes that nearly impossible.
Boosters fundraiser at Pizzaleah
A new date for a dine and donate fundraiser has been set by the Windsor High School Booster Club. On Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 3 to 8 p.m. supporters can get a delicious take-out meal from Pizzaleah and support both a local restaurant and the WHS Boosters all at once.
Pizzaleah is located at in the Oliver’s Market Center at 9240 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 116. The phone number for placing an order is 707-620-0551. A flyer for the event can be found on the Windsor High School Boosters Facebook page. It is recommended to take a copy of the flyer with you when picking up and paying for your order.
Pizzaleah’s menu can be found here.
Voter registration for students available
WHS students can register to vote this is election year. Students are encouraged to visit registertovote.ca.gov to get started. If you are 18, you can register to vote and follow the five steps. If you are 17, you can pre-register and on the date of your 18th birthday, you will automatically be registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote online is Oct. 19.
WHS students wanting assistance or more information should contact Trevor Johnson (tj******@wu**.org), WHS WCW Coordinator. Students can also reach out to College and Career Coordinator, Jennifer Taddei (jt*****@wu**.org).
