News

Subject: Superintendent's Letter to ESUHSD Community & FAQs - Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Updated: April 1, 2020

Dear East Side Community,

Attached is the updated FAQs for school closures and a letter from all Santa Clara County Superintendents. School campuses will remain closed for the rest of the year.  However, distance learning will still be implemented with fidelity.

Thank you for your immense support and flexibility. Though our school buildings are not open for classes, the school year is not over. We are committed to working with our staff, parents and the community to continually improve upon our distance learning process. We are also working on acceptable ways that we can celebrate the end of the year. We will provide more information as updates become available. 

Stay safe and be well.

Sincerely,

Chris D. Funk

Superintendent

East Side Union High School District

funkc@esuhsd.org

ESUHSD FAQs Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- Revision #3: 04/01/20

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Letter from Santa Clara County Superintendents

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______________________________________________________________________

East Side Union High School District

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

March 17, 2020

Revision #1:  March 20, 2020

Revision #2:  March 25, 2020

Revision #3: April 1, 2020

How long will our schools in ESUHSD be closed?

Our spring break has been canceled.  The District is monitoring information and coordinating with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and all other school districts in the County of Santa Clara and is following the Orders of local and state health authorities.  Per the agreement of all six County Superintendents in the Bay Area in collaboration with local superintendents and the various County Departments of Public Health and based on the recommendation from Governor Newsom, school closures will continue through the end of the school year.

How will the closures impact the school year?  Will we have to make up lost days at the end of the school?

No. The Governor’s Executive Order N-26-20 allows school districts to continue to receive uninterrupted funding from the state and the closures will not impact the 175-day requirement of the instructional calendar if the District’s Superintendent certifies that the closure occurred to address COVID-19.    Because the shelter in place covers our spring break, we are adding these dates for our employees to the end of the year thus shortening the school year by five days.  School will end on May 28, 2020.

Will the closures impact the total credits earned for my spring coursework?

No.  The second semester will be shortened.  You will earn all the credits that you are enrolled in if you pass all your classes.  (i.e., if you are enrolled in six classes and you pass all six classes, you will earn 30 credits)

Will my transcript be impacted in any way?

No. Your transcript will not be affected in any way.  It will show all courses taken this semester and full credits earned with each course that has been passed.

Will Advancement Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests still happen?

At this point in time, both AP and IB exams will still take place in May. ESUHSD has been in contact with the College Board and IB to ensure we follow their guidelines as they relate to testing dates and the possibility of extending the testing window if necessary.  These exams will impact students across the United States and internationally, so the College Board and IB are working to accommodate school closures around the world. We will keep you posted as information becomes available.

How should we continue to prepare for these exams?

Although we are not allowing new assignments that will be graded while schools are closed, AP and IB teachers should be providing online support with resources, lectures, YouTube videos, etc., to help with your studies.  The College Board has resources on their website, as well as Khan Academy.  Students are encouraged to set up chat groups to support each other to get through the remaining coursework and to help review.  Science courses are a definite concern.  The district will be providing AP/IB science teachers extra duty pay once school is back in session to offer labs after school and on the weekend leading up to the assigned test dates.

New Update from the College Board -Must read!

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/coronavirus-updates

How do we continue to provide access to learning for ALL students?

Although we are not allowing new assignments that will be graded while schools are closed, teachers should be providing online support with resources, lectures, YouTube videos, etc., to help with your studies. Distance learning officially started on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Please check in with your teacher via School Loop or Canvas.

What can I do if I do not have access to a computing device at home?

Consistent with our existing practice, students can contact their site principal to request the use of a Chromebook. Students should send an email to their principal with the request and provide the following information: Student Name - Student ID# - Expected Graduation Year -

Your principal will follow up with a time to pick up the Chromebook. It will be distributed at the lunch drive up during lunch distribution.

Understand that this is a loan of a Chromebook that you will return when we return to school to the principal you borrowed it from.

What can I do if I do not have internet access at home? If you do not have a district issued cell phone with a data plan and you cannot use an existing network, a good option might be Spectrum/Charter, which offers free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.

How long will the District be providing a free bag lunch while schools are closed?

Anyone who is 18 years or under in our community may receive a bag lunch for the duration of our school closure. Lunches will be provided from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm at each site until further notice.  We may have to reduce the number of sites depending on participation at each site.  Regardless of the number of sites, students may go to any school, Monday-Friday, to pick up a bag lunch. We are consolidating a few schools. The following schools will remain open as of April 13, 2020: Andrew Hill, Evergreen Valley, Independence, James Lick, Mt. Pleasant, Oak Grove, Silver Creek, and Wm. C. Overfelt.

State Testing Suspended

 Subsequent to the discussion on CDE's webinar, on March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-30-20 waiving, pending federal approval, the Education Code's state-wide testing requirement for the 2019-2020 school year. In making this Order, Governor Newsom cited to "the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and school communities throughout California," and noted this "time is stressful enough for students, families and educators without the additional burden of annual testing."

What will happen with events like proms, Senior Honor Nights, and graduation?

At this time, with the current shelter in place executive order along with gathering restrictions, we have canceled proms and Senior Honors nights.  We are looking to find alternatives for graduation.  At this time, graduations are on hold pending the lifting of the sheltered in place order and the current Public Health guidelines for social gathering. There will be no graduations in the month of May.