001And thank you for sharing this panel, and also the people who are representing the community, and thank you to everyone participating in the community, this whole team, especially for this forum. They want to open a forum for everyone to participate, not only those who belong to the board of the public school, but the entire community. Thank you, Mr. Cooper. Dr. Sal is going to speak for a moment, please. [Music] Just a moment, please, Doctor. I had a technical issue. They are on the welcome page. Dr. Sal wants to thank everyone who is here, especially those with questions, and they are going to start discussing this forum. Welcome back, and thank you to Kevin as well for participating. Thank you, Dr. Sal. Absolutely, Dr. Sal. Oh, I also wanted to thank everyone for tonight. These are
002the goals of the forum: to answer 180-185 questions that families have submitted. They are going to provide information and are also outlining the process the school is going through during this time, and also how parents can support their children with all of this. We've collected a large number of questions from the community, and because of the diversity of our community from all over, they want the community to understand how decisions are made. They're also going to make the CDC recommendations. We're going to try to make sure you understand this. The community read the questions and also sent emails, phone calls, and texts. The strategies and general questions, how to summarize the questions and also make sure you have good answers regarding this. Mr. Watson is going to introduce the members of the school board. Thank
003you, and once again, I want to thank the Department of Education for the support they give us to do this. Tonight we have the health and medical advisors from Dumur Public Schools and also those who work at the hospitals in Dumur. Here is also the leadership group from the public schools. There are their names and what they do, what their positions are in their work, Doctor. Mr. and Mrs. are the ones who will moderate this Focus Group. There is the leadership group of what is being done at this Forum. There is also the principal of the JOR SPK and also principals from other public schools. And there is also Mr. Augusto, who does the translations in the translation department. He is explaining how this Forum will proceed. Oh, there are some people who are going
004to ask some questions and ask the panel members. Good evening, my name is Melissa Touch, she is the director of a community. She is also representing the parents; her son is at the school. A congratulations or a thank you also to those who are doing an extraordinary job; it's incredible. The questions are: Do you see that the schools are going to open in 2021? What is happening? What is being done right now? And what are the procedures? And how can we prevent this virus from spreading to the nurses' offices? Um, if there is a child with the virus, what will be done? How will it be treated? If all these questions are answered yes, how can you notify or communicate with the parents in a timely manner about all of this? Um, she will answer
005those questions, those concerns of the community. Oh, thank you for your question, Caty. Yes, they will be communicating with the parents in a timely manner with all the information that needs to be given, with the guidelines, what the parents will do at home with their children, what the strategies will be for returning, all the schools have a room where people or students who are detected will be isolated, they will be observed, they will follow protocols, and the cleaning that needs to be done. Thank you, Katy. There are quite a few messages in the chat as well, and the technology isn't always perfect, but they are trying to see how we can help you understand. Regarding that forum, the translation is also in Spanish; we are doing our best so that you can understand it too.
006this is going to be This is going to be this recorded [Music] right now they are taking a while because as you know technology sometimes fails so they are watching they are taking a moment [Music] I Just got an email from a parent that it wasn't coming through and mm in English is he about ready to get started people Waiting yeah he he said he should be good to go right now so if you would like to resume Okay wonderful Thank you Sterling for fixing that for Us so If We can go back to that Community panel slide Just Back One slide car that would be wonderful so Our next um Community question is going to come from isaiah so isaiah I give you the floor to do a quick introduction and to introduce your
007question Please Thank you Uh for this opportunity to be A Part Of this um I'm isaiah cork um I am a child work for the State of conneticut as a Uh social worker dcf um I am minister um at the Mount pleasant in Church I'm very involved in the Community and so I'm grateful and thankful to be A Part Of this Uh discussion that is very important about how we serve Our children the best during this middle of this pandemic Uh the First my question That I have is How is the District equipping its staff and teachers to appropriately provide emotional safe spaces for students in the educational environment given the covid1 pandemic and the civil unrest that witnessed this year wonderful question isaiah Thank you for that and I'm Going To ask that K
008TR come Forth and answer that question for Us Thank you isaiah um so in the District Over The course of Our to school Our to school we were fortunate Enough to have a be of the Days And a big portion of that Time was sent on social emotional learning um so talking about the challenges That this um challenging Time Uh within Our society has presented um identifying Uh Ways that staff can form bonds in a virtual environment with kids and When they return um to in-person learning making sure that we set up Our schedule so there was carved out Time Every single day Uh for teachers to Connect with students on social emotional issues to build Community within their classrooms so that has been a foundation of Our work to Start the year um we
009also infused within Our academic lessons opportunities for kids um to make extensions um and connections to um Community and World Uh and then lastly We Will continue the Support Across the year to continue with the social emotional um and there Will also be an additional added in training um regarding social Justice that is upcoming for staff to receive thank you kell foring so eloquently so i'd like to ask Jay from citywide pto to give Us her question Now Hi everybody Thanks for Tonight as mentioned I'm the coent of c And I also have three children Two of Which are Elementary School students at ais um just to be honest I have a lot of questions um but I will try to keep it to One or two here I think My First and Main question
010is I've involved in several of these meetings um since the summertime and at the beginning It was very much based on the numbers If we were going Back Uh 25 cases Rolling average um and Now like a lot of Us Uh I've seen that the current research shows that School spread is not as much of an issue as originally thought um so my Main question is are we going Back um with a solid date No matter what or is it Still based on the numbers but the number is different um so my question is within that realm um And then My Second question is um do We have Direction from the State as part of Our decision making process or is it all up to Us um so Those are my two Main questions Thank
011you Jade for Those questions so I'm Going To ask Kathy oow to answer Those please Okay thank you for your question as firm numbers about when you would be um full-time learning less than 10 cases we were doing at that Time a Seven day Rolling average um per 100,000 so If It was less than 10 You were full Uh full time um If It was 10 to less than 25 that called for a hybrid model and then the 25 or more Uh called for Remote learning however due to Our building constraints Uh and the special issues that danberry Had we were um planning to go back in the hybrid model at that Point so Again this has been um a pandemic Uh that We have Never seen The likes of this before in Our lifetime
012um and there has been no Data for Us to go back and Look at from past experiences so we've Had to Just deal with the real-time information at hand um Back In April May if you Had asked Any of Us or Any of the Health experts What would schools look like um six months eight months into a pandemic we Just didn't know um and This is Still a very fluid situation Which continues to change All of the time so as we learn New information we move on so Now When we talk about addendum 4 um that gives districts more the ability to make the decisions based on What's happening in their own community originally we were working on Just State numbers and then It was numbers by County but as a District we've Always looked
013at danberry Because um Our numbers have Always been much higher than Our surrounding districts so Now What the State has said to Us is that um even though We are in the red zone and we Are at a Community spread of much More Than the 25 um per 100,000 um they've been able to Tell Us that the School that has been Open have not seen spread in the schools and so That's why they are telling Us at this Point if you not only Look at the Community numbers but we need to Look at What Our mitigation strategies are Which includes reducing density of the building Our ventilation Uh social distancing the Mask wearing All the public Health measures to Keep Us safe Our ppe um Our Cleaning and disinfection and these are all items that
014we're Going To cover later on so that is What's guiding Our decision making at this Point and it will be done at at a District Level and Kathy um I would Just Say that I feel like We are very prepared with all Those measures that you just mentioned um at least I know I've heard a lot of a lot of mitigation strategies that seem very well thought out To This Point um so hopefully We Will be able To Come Back In January considering All the current research Yes I hope so to Thank you That's a wonderful discussion um between the two to um help everyone understand How Those numbers have impacted What we're doing I am Going To ask at this Time that If You're not speaking If you'd please put yourself on mute we're
015Getting some echoes um with other people in the panel and It's causing them not to be able to understand so I'm going to move to Christine and ask Christine fornier to ask her question next Christine before you um before you Start and Can you please Let Me Know How many you have left How many What How many panelists Do you have left I just want to make sure I have the timing down Oh chistin andis thank you Hi um Yes I am representative of the Elementary Level um I am the I Head up the pto at Millridge primary but I also have I have a third grader there And then I have a fifth grader at King Street And then I have a freshman at the High School so I'm kind of All Over The
016Place but um I kind of reached out to a lot of my Friends that have K at multiple levels to kind of see you know what the running themes are um there's a lot but the biggest One Level the biggest concern is number one If People are even going to send their Kids to school at this Point Because they're I understand that all three of my kids um but for The People that are Going To look like It was proposed soct it has changed multiple Times um a lot of people feel as though that the early day is really kind of shorting Our Kids that are When What is the day really Going To look like we that is it changing from the last we looked at this Direct the answer to casiro please Hi
017so um know there isn't Any plan to change the length of the day that was proposed original First opening in October um you know part of the the planning you know the secondary Level part of has to do with the fact That we cannot serve lunch in school due to the number of kids and so in Part some of the decision is based around um pu aend home need to plan particularly in the hybrid environment Uh which is very difficult so You're planning lessons um gives the teachers about an ex [Music] hour Calling curricular conversion um in their planning so How do we make lessons accessible in a hybrid or distance learning environment to students Who are both at home and in person um and or developing asynchronous groups While other groups are working um
018with independent practice or on another lesson so All of Those things are very Complex a teachers do them so Now don't have any intention to change that original Time we did spend a lot of Time carefully around Those um but it um yeah so Those Times Will Stay the same moving Forward as Far As you know I have a High schooler Who No matter what I feel the the day works really well for him and having the opportunity to meet with the teachers in the afternoon has been a great opportunity I have you know I personally but I have an honor student Who doing well so If I Had a Kid that was struggling at the time I'm sure I would feel differently um but at the Elementary Level Wednesday Thursday Friday you know The
019Three days of limited interaction with the teacher I think is a big concern for a lot of parents is it Still going to be limited to that short period of Time in the afternoons for Those Kids that are at home versus the Kids that are Had additional time to continue to plan Uh during this Time period and we've been actively um trying to Uh rethink some components um we need to get the Kids in first um we need to get up and running to make sure that we're testing all of our systems down at the chromebook should say down at the k5 two chromebooks to work from two laptops to work from Which Will provide them with a monitoring device as well as to work from so um we Had a lot of teachers that
020have have asked If We are able to more synchronous instruction into Our day um you know Can we do that If We can Navigate that so we're um We have some teachers that already planned to do that so that we'll have that morning time will be that s and that connection whole Group and then we're Going To continue look for Ways to integrate prof are planning more to see how it can be integrated and we Had a good conversation about this the asynchronous lessons will be very High quality um and Part Of The Reason for that it's Not Just um a conversa not than you know we're Going To provide students with lon so that we can with students Who are in the cl but We have a significant portion Our Elementary population that are
021Second Language learners and so having that uned visu can Listen uned from the Mask Those things are important additionally for The students Who are home struggle with Child care during this Time period um children are either Going To grandma's House or they're going off to a day having this recorded allow a and Child to play them flexibly and to Listen and Sit flexibly um at different Times during the day so If a parent comes home from work and they Want To engage The child That's a better Time of the day have an opportunity to have Those lessons Play them Replay them and interact they're also interactive so um children can engage with the slides as well and submit answers so They are quite High Quality um quite a tremendous task to do on Our Part
022but we think It's Worth it for Our students um but we do expect to incorporate some more Live synchronous components um during the course of the day First we need to get these teachers up and running Uh with their laptops and we need to build in some systems and structures into the School day First to allow some so I do think you'll see some more of that is in Our in Our conversations Now um we're just eager to get Back and get things moving so we can Start to Start to work on that Great Thank you car for your answers and your wonderful questions from Christine and Now we go on to for your question please introduce yourself first and then Give Us your question Hi my name is in latin I'm also a parent
023I have a student that goes to Rogers park I see chr zita is here so to cluster B Wonder wonderful Job And then I have another one that goes to Park Avenue School so some of the questions already answered by car so Thank you I was noting It Down so I have one question from translated in English so her question is could there be a way for teachers to be more interactive with students Rather than Just sending video clips This Way the students are engaged and interested in their studies that question right to um so and so um without knowing of May be asking I would surmise that it um that it May have to do with When we are having students do independent practice um and so you know one of the things about
024this environment that has become more visible to parents home is the idea of small Group instruction and and Maybe understanding that When the teacher is doing working with students in a small Group that their other students Will be engaging prac and this really isn't Any different than When they're in school um there's a large bulk of Time at the k5 Level that is if you Will with transitions things like recess um and students often work on independent practice activities that are geared towards their While the teacher takes a small Group but parents Don't See That during the day stud While another Five or six students are working at a Station to complete a task and another Group could be working on an independent practice so Those independent practice activities happen all day long While teachers
025work sm groups and sm really key component to delivering so it Just um we Just Don't see it during the day you know When parents are working but it happens regularly Thank you and Thank you for your question all wonderful questions from Our Community panel and um know that your questions Will continue as we work through Our um session here tonight which is around Health and wellness and Kathy started Us off really really well in Talking About addendum F the expectations of the State Department Of Ed and How they have um turned some of tha t decision making directly in Uh into onto the local Level and so I'd like to bring Dr fong in at this Point To talk a little bit about the environment and asymptomatic students and things that We are doing
026in the District to Keep children healthy and safe Dr fong if you could Just introduce yourself and then answer that question that would be wonderful my pleasure um well First of all I ap Because I'm so happy that kath Call Me And said no at zoom so anyway I think is probably not mention Enough in the as well as Uh some of the consultants and that is When A person get exposed to the coronavirus not everyone Will become symptomatic in fact there's a lot to do with the Age of the p of the individual the less likely they Will have symptoms So The very young usually Are Not symptomatic and by the time they Finish High School even at no more than 30% or Maybe even a little bit higher that have no symptoms so
027It's a significant number without symptoms however on the other hand the factom does not mean They don't carry the Corona virus If they were exposed to that and Uh so Those viruses are Just not Being able to get yando vir the virus asymptomatic individual does not mean that they Are Not and to recn that Because Will reince Sign por faor utizar las máss solsa at the same time the infections of the individuals the Mask and si you touch the mask if you touch the middle part someone to that has tou so people there are things that we be very careful si tú u un lapicero Si una persona utiliza compte instrum if you therefore It is important and Note It is it is therefore reminding yourself that it's important to wash hands of important in
028add number of families in particular arrang so crowding Is also another risk so It is helpful even in the families if you are Going To Have get Together make sure you Wear Mask in the house even in the house Because most of Time people Don't Wear the Mask in House Because the of the seasonal influence february and we and a lot of time taks before your immune System is functional so get your FL vaccination you don't want to have a dou Je with both the two viral viruses in at the time so Those are basically quick families can um use Next To for her To talk about What if a child does test positive in a What is the protocol like families to in the district If test posi is positive and also mibr de
029la famil so If We are and we Are currently students We are report ofi parents [Music] Thank you we This is a lot of information that we're Giving Tonight so before Open Our sching and we'll also at the end of this presentation show you Where some of This is on Our Website can Kathy please address the availability for testing during the [Music] um has been to me K before you interject I Anna Just want to remind you you have about 11 minutes left right Ok thank you Kevin um so Over The holidays When the we Still have a link on Our Website to the city and the availability of cov testing s days a week with the Community Health Center and that is done Over on the campus off of Lake Avenue extension Uh from
03088:30 to 4 s days a week They are doing covid testing over there and um at 120 Main Street the greater danberry Community Health Center in cic um They are testing as well And scheduled um I just Will add that um Last week we started the by next Now through Our School based Health centers and um We have referred quite a number of people the First week we um the nurses there did testing on 21 people in the First Four days so that has been a very valuable service for Us that um through the School parent or The child or a staff member will be referred to the School based Health Center that is doing testing that day um It is appointments um only But You Will Get In The same day um unfortunately that
031won't be available Over The holidays Because the schools are closed but the two Community Health Center sites along with All the urgent cares um in the Area will be doing testing Thank you Dr um so I'd like to turn to Dr B Now and could you please talk to Us a little bit about the time frames of When people should be tested and exposed after an exposure there You are Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words so it If someone's exposed Now right now that the test May netive and That's correct So The idea is um When somebody's exposed so say exposed On A Sunday When they would most likely Show The symptoms and most want to be tested so um the Uh per of infectivity Uh can [Music] be days and
032so If somebody's initially exposed Uh While we sometimes test May be initially nega so umos would be at least up to um to days but the isti quarantine so there's different strategies so One thing is If you have a High risk exposure you actually May need to be quarantined 10 days Uh Where If You're tested um two days afterwards Uh then to Uh consider you Being Negative so I will say the guidelines are evolving um quite frequently and they event populations um but also the actual valabil of test kind of influences Our decision to um Our local um danbury um School structure um May have a slightly than other Place around the State Uh or the country but the idea is that um If You're got to be tested Uh It's not necessarily Time stamp
033Zero That's Going To Uh Say that You're Negative Uh you got to be upwards of at least Uh three to Four days the biggest Area of effectiveness like I said is a few days afterwards not at the beginning Great Thank you very much for that answer and the next Last Uh Health question is going to go to pry from Our City little bit about vaccines sure Thank you very much So The State has laid out a plan um for vaccination out of that um Which Will be setting in just a couple weeks May as next to the hospital vaccinate um hospital and health professionals and Uh emergency technicians emts infrastructure employees so it will be Uh rolled out to police fire um teachers in that Group um after that it Will be going out to
034for that it could be theing at this Point doing on children Under the age of 18 so That's Still Thank you for that Great information and so Now I'm Going To turn it over to he is going to work through Our distance learning um we May Still Touch on some Health and wellness questions as we Go through the other categories so um not Always totally done with that category as It is an important One so Kevin for [Music] this want to ask a couple of questions on behalf of the Community um and if you for some um and then If She needs additional assistance Uh She Will um Direct you accordingly so Uh cara the the First of Four or Five questions would the District consider a sum session help students Catch up What is
035the plan to get Our students caught up sure um so beginning Last Summer um we already expanded the use of Summer School as a way to help more students Wi Our normal um net if you Will of students Who we normally would invite to Summer School that was First good Step um and that was actually Pretty that was Our First Uh attempt at a distance learning Summer school and It was It was relatively successful so ummer whether Or Not we could be in person or we would use a combination of in person and distance um but certainly be able to at least offer some distance learning and or in person Uh Summer School to number of students um you know so long as Our Our resources allow Us to do so um In addition To
036that par um Last we were also able to position ourselves to um and rearrange some Staffing to include um 13 specialist at k5 and Those folks have and students and so we hope to expand and grow out Our Services in that Area in terms of intervention and um some cases um you know using the term acceleration is more appropriate Because we Just really need to continue What we're doing and um and Speed It Up Double down and Give Kids some more opportuni we Happy to be able to include those staffers in Our ranks this year next year as well so we do have a plan in Place for that [Music] situation sks for students in the same way that We have been but Just an increase and an expansion of that on Kevin Thank you
037for that response And I think the next question you have answered somewhat but Let me ask it anyway so How will the transition be handled to the Next grade Level Where there will be a Class that reinforces or reviews concepts before they move up so Uh We have a tremendous curriculum Team um and supervisors and instructional Support specialist that assist heading into this year um these groups Uh spent a considerable amount of Time um assessing What needs to be What is critical in this environment What are the priority standards That need to be taught across all grade levels um and adjusting to meet Those needs We Will continue to do that across this year as well to make sure that most critical concepts and grade Level um components that students need to Forward um Network
038is has been ongoing So um You know That's Just part of that part of Our normal process that we do each year It's just obviously a little bit more intense in this environment as we make adjustments moving Forward a lot of Work In in August and September um ready for this and with teachers and deps to also have that say but me Every to do that work Thank you so this next question from One of Our One of Our famili in years p we've Had you know we don't necessarily have the same Data available to Us Now to see how Our Kids are doing so what Data Is there Any Data um that We have available to Us to show How Our students are doing academically particularly in the k5 areas sure so um we
039have administered the St ass this year so We have numeracy and literacy um however um and normally we use that as a universal screener Across the School year as a sort of a just a little dipstick to see Where students are in real Time and to be able to measure cohorts across grade levels and Across the years um and some assessments As you know are better broad stroke visioning of how we're doing as a District or How we're doing year Toy and other assessments are much better for more instructional information um and so we did administer the star assessment um I will Tell you that um we've deemed it to be a little unreliable in this particular environment taking it at home in you know with Under different circumstances and conditions um and some of
040Our younger grade levels much better than Our normal Trend Uh which is which is probably in Part that home and May May not be Getting a little bit of assistance with Helping to log in and um so you know um It's not the um It's hard to assess whether Or Not um Had a little bit of help with the assessment or Who struggled completely with Technology and that The Reason that that might not be reflective ability so um we did we're taking that with a grain of Salt for Now we do have reporting responsibilities with the State um Because we're a priority District so we do report that information um in some grade levels that the students did and in some they did Uh not as good as they normally do um so It is
041it is one indicator one Point in Time um but more we stressing is more of a micro informal assessment On A Daily basis and on the weekly basis um we put a lot of effort ambi evar prof pri done a of that for the teachers to make prioritizing um the same um but they're adjusting need and so um you know teachers are really the best Uh judge of how students are meeting those standards and How they're responding work teachers Those larger assessments this year um we do you know We are relying more on informal smaller assessments Across the year um One of the things you know I think really interested I think s of What's happening at the secondary Level um in terms of in terms of assessment things look very similar to Maybe they
042did the way that they did Prior To This right you know Our younger learners you know It's a Bing real Time To This so I do have She's One of Our Uh wonderful Elementary principals and She's also Our k5 Elementary principal lead so I've asked her to speak a Thank you cara Good Evening everyone um I must say Our children the el have really adapted to Uh this environment although This is very New to a lot of Our children um you know most of the morning and day I must say They are amaz Our children Amazing we Can't Stop you know saying um What a great Job they're Doing Not Being in front of their teacher Every Day as much as we miss you Our they done unprecedented Time um when we're joining administrat my
043teamers And I are that students are They are engaged and they are doing the best that they can the teachers um and doing everything possible to make sure that Our students get what they We are pleased that the teachers are you know working very hard and assessing the children Every day and Every week Uh to see how they're moving this What we're doing Now to than What we done in theing in theing you know we were Just thr right into it everyone Just Had to pick up and Run and and work with it but with the help of the coaches and instructional leaders um the information Data Stuff that Our children are Getting allows teach and really work on What the children actually need we look Forward to Getting Back to school Of course whenever
044we can and um Again we we Miss Our you know Our and we Can't Stop Again praising them for all that they're doing and we do thank um Our parents Community members really help make possible Because none of Us could do this without you Thank you Thank you I might add to that um that Our attendance um in this environment Uh for instruction has been very good um I do n't know um might want to Speak briefly about that and then We have time to answer this question So The attendance has been um tracked very closely from year to date Uh during distance learning but also In comparison To What the previous years were we're right on Target um about 94 which is very typical Daily attendance um Across the District um in fact the
045the amount of reporting that we Had to do for the State has increased um year to be sure that we don't have um disconnected students Who are not attending and nobody kind of knows Where they are so um the building have kept meticulous Records on all students um have counselors following up administrators teachers um and so Our rates are in Line with Where we see them this Time Of year Great thank youk for Those at this Point we're going to move on to more general questions and I'd like to Start um the First One um address it to Uh Kevin walston about the Who are the drivers in making about going back to school yeah than Thank you for that question um and so and One Because I recall the question I know part of
046that question teachers as a teacher Union behind the decision making process um and And I just want to say you know We certainly the teachers are certainly you know they help dve Health and welfare that certainly we mindful of as we make this decision Uh but It's Not Just the teachers It's all of Our administrators um Our bus drivers Our custodial staff It's everyone um but ultimately the decision And I Know with us but ultimately the decision sits with the superintendent um and as we know we mentioned numerous times um you know he also meets with the cabinet but also meets with advisors um and and and gets their feedback help inform his decisions Uh but ultimately that decision sits with the superintendent Great Thank you Kevin Our next question I'm Going To address to
047cara pruny in Our local Health department and we received many questions about How um as families we can be proactive And I Know Kathy d has od has answered Those but we'd like to um hear from you a little bit about How the city is Being proactive on Any blatant Thank you That's a great question um so We are We have a couple of Ways that We are addressing this We actually have a task force that we made this past week That's comprised of several differents doing covid comp enforcement We have inspectors that regularly are checking compliance um We also have aes any situations um that might need Our attention on Our Website Where we can Take Those complaints and we follow up on Every sing so We are trying to be proactive in Uh
048enforcing the sector guidelines out information um trying to educate everyone and get the word out as much as possible What's going on the Community the heen Level going on and getting the information out so that way people can follow guidance Thank you for the city Being proactive um and Helping to um Keep All of Our citizens safe and so Our Last question in this category is going um and How are we making schools a welcoming environment to Our families and Can you Talk a little bit about some of Our newer policies and then How do we Still um make provisions for famili Who might and things like that to make their children have Everything they need When they're in school during the day Thank you for the question one and It's a good question one
049of the policies That have been recently adopted that has been very important to help Keep everyone safe in Our schools Our staff and Our children is a no visitation policy and and and and and frankly there's Nothing not there Nothing welcome however it is sure the saet of Our andun but but I can Tell you and and I'll share this with everyone I think Our principles engage with Our families in Ways that they have not been able to Reach the numbers that they Have In Prior years I think This is certainly a Silver lining in this Last year and a Half year Plus it seems like 20 years Uh but in this Last year Uh we We have Found Ways to Connect with families um like We have not done before I think we've been
050very successful in that effort um As you know we've Always looking for Ways to increase Our Communications with families um I know the principals have also s out um um correspondences to Our families When we thought we were reopening in October um and Walk the families through What the process would be If they Had to Drop Food off If they Had If they forgot something and they needed to bring medication there was a que Medic for the [Music] you have to leave it at the school secretary. The principals have always had Open Houses and I'm continuing to hear that participation has been as great as ever. You know, I'm not trying to sugarcoat this thing. These are real stories coming back from our school leaders that we are hearing and learning and learning. As you
051know, the outcomes of this... I've read numerous activities, the outreach of teachers and administrators going to homes and making connections. [Music] Connections for food, to make sure that people [Music] The important thing about the mask is... the policy report that is given is part of education. [Music] And for the students, masks for the students and adults... Good questions, will you talk regarding the financing? And the care. If you take with finance, and with, finance with, finance with, funds, for, oh, than, do, questions, questions, for, the fund, it is proposed to, to be, during the year. [Music] It has also received coronavirus, the fund, a fund for that, they have received assistance, assistance for the city, everything that is related to the coronavirus. [Music] You are fortunate for that, with the curriculum, also with the budget,
052you know that, it is required, an investment, that is, an amount, across the district, curriculum development, investing in Google Cloud, it is going to continue in that part, it is exciting with respect to that, for example, in all the buildings they are reinforcing, putting on masks, they are seeing, they are happy seeing the school as they are organizing, they have bought filters also for additional ones, for some classrooms that need them, they have bought something with respect to the social- emotional part, also tools to help the curriculum. [Music] The appropriate things, like the PT, not the things that the workers need, also not to cover their faces, and also they are sure that they have secured, that they have the PPT in The schools, the people who have problems with it, in addition, some of
053it will be able to sustain us beyond the pandemic. So, can I ask a question? We still have two more questions here. Okay, I just need to ask her. Would you just briefly mention the audit that took place? I think that includes the purchases as well with the engineers that took place. Oh, with the—I'm sorry, with the architects. Yes, I think it's important so people know. It feels like ages ago, but it was so important. The district is working with the elementary, middle, and high school types. They've made a map for social distancing, especially in the hallways of the schools, and they're also going to add it for other schools. And there are questions. They're asking regarding face coverings. They've ordered them for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. They're going to put them on
054time. They're working on that. For middle and high school children, they have additional face coverings. What are they doing with the money they're getting? They're saving when there are no bases, when there's no food yet. We're not even halfway through the year. They're looking at the budget with the [Music] workers. You know, if they invest with the other workers too. They're still having other workers to help in the [Music] district school. What the city has saved, they've given back to them. They're not anticipating any savings this year. Thank you. They're going to implement reopening strategies for our students and elaborate a little bit. What other mitigation strategies are they giving for the students? They're reducing demand. They're still running with the school bus base numbers. The children are going to have their own materials. There
055won't be sharing. There won't be sharing of materials. They're going to have physical distancing, and also from the desks and tables. They're going to have an appropriate transition. Especially in the hallways, also when they're in the cafeteria. They're able to do that. As you know, the children have to wear masks. They also have materials that, if they need them, they're going to give them. All the nurses have what they need. It also needs information for the students regarding masks. Ah, sometimes there are complications with the masks, but the teachers are doing a wonderful job helping the students adjust to the masks. And each class has been tested with the cleaning supplies. The cleaning supplies for the special children are going well. They also have everything they need. They are asking how the supplies are being
056administered and how the cleanings are being done. What kind of cleaning or what kind of cleaning items are being used? Are they clean materials as training? All custodians are disinfecting the materials to make it safe. They have also given the custodians, the workers who look after the schools and also the workers who are on the ground, things that parents have to do before the children leave or get on the bus. What are the expectations? On the health website there are also letters from the health department with guidance not to send children if they are sick. Well, if the children get sick at school and so on. It's not that big before, they would stay and recover, but now, if they see even a small symptom, they're going to send them to be checked by their
057peers. The guides [Music] are going to send forms for them to fill out, asking questions and making observations. How is your child sick? Not for families who don't have thermometers, they have thermometers, so they can contact the nurses at their schools, and they can give them a thermometer if their child gets sick during school. During school days, they're going to determine if they'll be in the isolation room. It's important that you come and pick up your children in 30 minutes. There are many questions left, but they're going to put many for you to answer. Hopefully, you'll find the answer you were looking for. Right now, the computers won't be on the desks; they're going to make a video. [Music] They'll want to make sure you watch the video, not completely, but there's one more question.
058They 're surely working on three more so that He's happy to report. He's sure the kids have what they need. If a computer is broken, they try to switch them to another one. The high school principal and the teachers contact the parents, then they connect with the administration. Almost every day they look around and knock on doors. There are technology issues. They go to the house and try to help fix it on the porch, not outside the houses. So they ask why they aren't connecting at school, how they can help. He's also involved in food distribution. So when a student doesn't have a computer or technology, they give them another one. There are still computers there, but they're trying to distribute them. There are students who still are n't connecting. Taking this time to [Music]
059pass. They're everywhere. The work they're doing is incredible. Thank you. The teachers are also connecting with the parents through, as usual. At least this year it's been closer to seeing attendance. Google Translate, with all that, helps. Other administrators are also trying to connect with that. Part of what's happening here is that they're working, and if something isn't working, they're looking for ways to fix it. The change is that they have to do something better. The social workers are also doing community service. The voucher system, the Decher system, they also talk to the parents about it. Working with the community is a very strong key to moving forward. Regarding the calls and emails that are sent or forwarded, they're mentioning that in this atmosphere where we can't see each other face to face, the community needs
060to know that the teachers are doing everything possible and the administration is doing to connect with the population. [Music] They're thanking all the principals and everyone. Thank you, thank you to the parents for supporting this effort. The community members also thank you. Now they're going to present the video. [Music] It's showing how the folders, the water bottles, the things for when they go out to recess, how they're going to drop off the children and pick up the students. You can see that too. How our classrooms are positioned. How our hallways have been reconfigured. With the architects' recommendations, all are being followed. Classes are ready to return, like cleaning the handwashing stations, going from one place to another, like the water fountains. They've covered the arrows pointing from one side to the other. Thank you. [Music]
061To speak, you can go to the district's website and there you can see the video. You can do it in Spanish or English. Well, most of you are waiting for Dr. [Music] Dr. Salas. Many of the questions, many of the emails, he has tried to answer. There are some he hasn't, but he has tried. He is working to ensure that the students have a safe environment, disinfecting the opening and closing of the schools, the contact tracing, that is, how to track who has the virus and who does n't. There are many protocols that parents can listen to, especially when returning to school. [Music] The contact tracing, he will talk a little more about [Music] that, identifying when there is a case. It's positive when, when they're going to do contact tracing, they're going to see
062what day the child was last there, who was near that child who tested positive, if it was 15 minutes or less away. That's where they're going to do contact tracing. They have to know what happened after that. Then they do the quarantine process. They have 14 days of quarantine. Questions regarding new CD [Music] and they're asking themselves if they're going to adopt that or not right now. They're following the 14 days. If the workers or students are taking the COVID test [Music], they're also going to do the rapid test for people or individuals without symptoms. A letter will be sent to let them know that they're doing contact tracing. Logical contact tracing that there are private facts. Parents will be notified through the robocall, and then the school community. The process should be on the
063page and see how many cases there are in the community or in the school. That's going to be the referral process. Through emails, Rob and then they're going to continue with the city follow-up. They're going to complete the family with the students who are under 18. There's also a state report at each school so parents can see how the follow-up contact is doing. The test takes such a long time. Typo of number of hours, hour, but usually that is not the case. I mean, it's not that good. The reaction is basically putting the Swap, whatever, on it, virtic and multiplied with chemicals. The doctor is explaining how the exams are done. That's why one of the tests takes longer, one day, two days, three days. He's explaining regarding how the exams are given. Yeah, go
064ahead. So, just a point of clarification to what my colleagues just said I was asked earlier. He's explaining regarding testing your child. You shouldn't be sending your child to school in the interim period. Uh, and you should consider what our school guidelines quarantining children are. And because you're going to go away, and if that's worried, my... Thank you. Let [Music] meing appreciate the work they are doing. It has been an effort for everyone. In October, supposedly we were going to return, but we have always had to change. The important thing for him is the safety and health of the students, and his advice from the scientists is that the state of California says being in school is important, but the decisions are made in the city. What is different now is that they will continue
065with the strategies. The numbers are different; the numbers are high. Social distancing is sometimes hard, but now what we are seeing is that people are gathering in groups. They have to be attentive to this and they have to adjust the process. The advice they give us through the state is looking at the data for the strategies. That is a position with the recommendations from the community. What they have spent feeling comfortable with after this whole waiting period. The elementary schools, up to the fifth grade, are bringing back the little ones. The elementary schools are going to face the reopening. The important thing is that they return safely. The [Music] school will have meetings regarding quarantines. It's a rule for those parents who want to send their children to school; they have to do what they've
066said before. [Music] is easy. The plan is to follow the strategies so that everyone is in their place and on the right track. They're also looking at February. This week they'll have a clearer idea of how they're going to return. In January they're going to send confirmations of the opening days. They do n't want to discourage anyone because of the changes. They've looked at that, that search, and from there they see the resources they need and they're going to finalize those plans. Perhaps by the end of this week, the [ Music] reopening plan is open in many ways. Communication is open; they're all on the same page. They want to see the children return. It's strange, but they're not asking questions when it comes to safety. They're going to have time to make changes with
067their decisions. At this point, I think that we 're all in the same boat. I want to thank the entire community for their patience. It's important that they return. At this point, it's going to be finalized. Suddenly, by January, so that he returns, many questions will be posted on the website. Thank you for the support and encouragement to the parents. He appreciates everything. [Music] He cares a lot about the students, their safety, and their well-being to the community. There are questions and answers on the website. If you need more questions or a recommendation, they will send letters to the community, and the information will also be on the website. Thank you for your time tonight. Thank you for everything. Thank you, Dr. Thank you to the entire D community. Everyone is working to get the
068students back to school. I hope you have a wonderful time. Thank you, family. Thank you. Thank you to all the panelists. [Music]