August 27, 2021

 

Dear SPUSD Families, Faculty, Staff, and Administrators,

 

It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching September and that the school year is well underway. Thank you to everyone for your support. Returning to in-person learning brings relief and possibly other challenges as we all adjust to different school experiences. We are deeply focused on the well-being of our students, their safety and their academic, social, and emotional development.

 

Expanded Social-Emotional Resources
To meet the social-emotional needs of our students, SPUSD Student Support Services has expanded existing resources and has established partnerships with new organizations to provide additional services to students. At all levels–TK-12–our school-based, academic counselors are the best place to start if your child(ren) needs help. For more information on all the social-emotional resources available, please review this flyer and contact your school-based counselors with any questions. Parent workshops also will be held throughout the school year, and we will provide additional information when available.

 

COVID-19 Reminders/Exposure Notification
At this time, SPUSD is in an excellent position relative to other school districts in Los Angeles County. While we have experienced three positive cases districtwide since the start of school, all cases were contracted outside of our school campuses. Also, the State of California reports that within the City of South Pasadena, 86% of the population eligible to be vaccinated (ages 12+) has been vaccinated.

 

We continue to need families’ help to keep our campuses safe. Please do your part by having your child wear a mask to school and affirming mask etiquette; promoting frequent hand washing; maintaining physical distance when possible; and please do not send your child to school if they are experiencing symptoms and/or they are sick.

 

Within SPUSD, people’s opinions about COVID restrictions are varied. We hear you all, but would like to remind you that we are mandated to follow Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance and protocols. Our mitigation measures are outlined in the SPUSD Containment, Control & Response Plan and are implemented to the extent feasible at each school campus.

 

When there is a positive case, the SPUSD Health Team and school administrators:

 

COVID-19 Testing
We have made some modifications to the weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing. To ease the traffic burden at the beginning of the testing period, we are working in collaboration with the South Pasadena Police Department, and we moved the testing location to South Pasadena Middle School. We also adjusted the time from 3:15-6:15 p.m. and spaced out the arrivals so that the testing process will be faster. Please remember to register before 11:59 p.m. on the Friday before the testing date.

 

Each school’s health office also has COVID-19 test kits on hand for students or employees who require immediate testing if they are symptomatic or have been exposed to someone with a known COVID-19 infection.

 

Future Vaccination Clinics
We expect to be able to offer vaccination clinics in the future, especially when many individuals may be due for booster shots. We will provide additional details about the clinics when we have more information.

 

In the meantime, if your child is eligible, please make an appointment for vaccination. One of the many advantages of being vaccinated, per the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance, is that your child is not required to quarantine if they are deemed a close contact and do not have symptoms. Please refer to this infographic for additional details.

 

Everyone is learning how to deal with this new reality. I would like to remind you of the District’s core values. We’re all in this together, and I ask you to demonstrate these values in your interactions with students, teachers, administrators, and other parents. We have faced and have overcome many obstacles, and we will continue to do so.

 

Regards,

 

Geoff Yantz, Ed.D.