CAUSE ADVISORY
Word’s of Wisdom from the CHS Principal
Tracking and Mitigating Further COVID-19 Transmissions
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Good afternoon, CUSD Colleagues,
Recently, the CHS principal, Gerardo Cornejo, published an update regarding the high-school’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts. There was much wisdom to be found in his email to staff and faculty. Concerned that it is not being applied District wide, the Union is promoting several of the details Mr. Cornejo covered. We’re also adding a few more for good measure.
Specifically…
1.) At this time we need to make the assumption that all students have been exposed to the virus. Therefore, it is very important that CUSD Staff and Faculty monitor both themselves and their students for symptoms.
2.) The CUSD uses AIRIES to maintain students’ daily attendance records. If a student has a Q on their attendance, please make sure they have completed their Quarantine as noted on the attendance page of Aeries. If a student shows up earlier than the completion date in AIRIES, DO NOT ALLOW THEM INTO THE CLASSROOM. Instead, send them to the school-site office immediately.
3.) If a student has an unverified absence on Aeries, send them to the office immediately. Site administration must confirm the reason a student was absent and conduct any follow up inquiry if needed.
4.) The CUSD is only providing COVID test kits to student; not employees. Student testing has not been and is not a routine on our campuses. In regard to the CUSD’s ability to confirm test-results, this approach is predicted to be a far less-effective approach than testing methods in surrounding Districts (ex. Like SBUSD – https://keyt.com/news/local-news/top-stories/2022/01/10/santa-barbara-unified-rolls-out-rapid-covid-19-testing-on-campus/ ). Union leadership asks District faculty to go an extra-step; please contact the families of your students and emphasize that their child has been provided two (2) these test kits. This may be done via PARENTSQUARE, your teacher-website, GOOGLE CLASSROOM, or whatever method you use for routine communications.
As students and parents are our most immediate partners in education, many consistently engage in direct communication with teachers, but do not review the more politicized information and messaging that comes from the Superintendent’s office. Therefore, your effort to communicate these details reinforces the distribution of tests by CUSD. Given both the value and demand associated with these kits, Union leadership would like to see that our students and community realize a higher level of efficacy than is predicted by the CUSD’s hastily prepared roll-out.
6.) When you contact parents, you may want to cut and paste the reminders below (a.- d.), or put them in your own words. Union leadership encourages each faculty member to reinforce the following:
a. Given the OMICRON surge, clothe masks are far inferior to N-95 & KN-95 masks.
b. If families do not have access to higher quality masks, double-masking is a better alternative to a single clothe mask.
c. Masks are only effective if they are worn correctly. They should be worn securely over the nose & mouth, and it is now recommended that students wear masks indoors and outdoors when adequate social-distancing is not possible.
d. Although students, employees, and families are not required to divulge their testing or COVID-19 status, Union leadership wants to discourage any stigma associated with the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Please consider transparently sharing whether your child or anyone in your household has been potentially exposed, is experiencing symptoms, or is / recently tested COVID positive. (This same encouragement goes out to our teachers and support staff across the District, who are also encouraged to notify families of the same . Let’s act to protect each other, our students, and their families.)
In support of public-health,
~ CAUSE Leadership
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