Community Update July 16, 2021

Educators throughout the county have greatly enjoyed celebrating our graduating students over the past few weeks. Not only did we applaud the culmination of effort over the years to earn their diploma, we also paid tribute to students’ resilience and determination in the face of one of the most difficult years ever in education.

A new school year is now around the corner, and schools across Santa Cruz County are ready to open classrooms to students full-time.

This week, a key requirement was released by the state that will impact your school this fall. On July 12, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released new guidance that is more restrictive than CDC’s recommended guidance on the use of face coverings. CDPH is requiring students, staff, and all visitors to wear face coverings while inside school buildings during the 2021-22 school year. Under the guidance, masks are optional while outdoors.

This summer, school districts are providing a range of social, health, and wellness opportunities for students. We know as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, new resources will be needed to help students heal and readjust to in-person learning this fall. Some districts are offering summer opportunities to engage and reconnect with their peers, access to expanded mental health services, and continued support for parents to help their children receive the optional COVID-19 vaccine and required immunizations. Our districts and charter schools look forward to opening every school in Santa Cruz County full-time and in-person in the fall.

As we reflect on challenges our school community has faced and overcome throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are extremely grateful and proud of the way we came together as a community to uplift, support, and protect students and families throughout this crisis. The graduations we celebrated also marked our entry into a new phase of the pandemic. We are thankful for the remarkable countywide collaboration of our school districts, charter schools, community organizations, public health authorities, and school personnel to keep the health and safety of our students, families, and staff top priority. We are grateful to all of our inspiring educators who worked diligently to develop innovative teaching methods for students through remote learning. We are thankful for our school counselors and student support services professionals who supported our student’s wellness in a time of extreme crisis.

We are especially grateful to our COVID-19 and Health teams who have worked tirelessly to keep schools across the county informed of constantly-evolving changes in COVID-19 guidance. Our School Nurses, COE Safety Director, Human Resource Officers, and administrators worked in partnership with Public Health to develop our contact tracing system for schools, provided high-quality professional development to school administrators to ensure schools are safe for our students’ return, and responded to countless inquiries from worried staff and parents. The dedication and compassion of our school community, especially in times of crisis, is truly special and the resilience of our community is something worth celebrating.