Dr. Ben Churchill
Superintendent
Carlsbad Unified School District
Carlsbad Unified preschoolers were among the first students to be greeted in person by their teachers as their elementary school campuses began a phased-in reopening on Monday, September 28. By Friday, October 9, all elementary grades will have been welcomed back to their classrooms, and most of these students will embark on a new hybrid education experience comprising both in-classroom and at-home instruction.
Because of the added health and instructional challenges of reopening middle and high schools, 6th through 12th grade students will continue to attend school remotely until January. In the meantime, students will be able to participate in many structured opportunities to meet on campus, possibly including clubs, service organizations, academic teams, counselor-led groups, labs, and athletic teams and/or conditioning.
Ever since COVID-19 forced schools to close on March 13, we have been operating under orders from state and San Diego County public health officers who continuously monitor infection
data. And, since that date, Carlsbad Unifi ed has been designing plans to enable our students and staff to return confidently to a safe environment conducive to learning and work.
Our schools reopened in late August–remotely. Over a hundred talented teachers had spent their summer creating innovative ways of pairing instructional excellence with new online technologies, and writing curriculum. This gave all teachers the tools to deliver our robust new online instruction, dubbed Distance Learning 2.0, when the school year began.
On September 1, San Diego County, with the support of the state Department of Public Health, issued a public health order allowing schools to reopen if they are in compliance with county guidelines. This order gave our school board the go-ahead to consider reopening our schools. Our board and staff have been grappling with the enormous challenges of bringing students and teachers back to campus for in-person instruction. We have been listening, researching, surveying families and teachers, and working to build the safest and most effective instructional models.
We are now in the earliest stage of welcoming our students back to the classrooms. We have implemented extensive safety measures, including health screening protocols, six-foot social distancing, deep cleaning and disinfecting, and many other elements described in our blueprint for a safe return, the School Reopening Handbook.
We are aware that increased COVID-19 activity in San Diego County could result in a new order for school closures. But we believe that we have taken a prudent course of action, prioritizing safety, consistency, and continuity of learning. We are beginning to reopen, and we want to remain open.
Our teachers and staff are the best in the business. I am grateful for their dedication, commitment, and positive attitudes. These are not normal times. But we will continue to work together to protect our teachers, staff, and students, and to provide the best possible education for our students.