Roger Crawford said, “Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” I believe that this quote is significant today with all that we are doing and working through.
Have a Wonderful and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday:
My wife and I have lived in Redding our entire lives and as you can imagine we have large families that are near us. Most Thanksgiving Holidays we are privileged to host the event at our home and it is a great time to see each other and enjoy food and festivities. This year we are hosting from a distance to protect our loved ones by delivering the meals to their homes in individual packages. It is important for us to recognize all of our roles in reducing the spread of COVID in our community. I wish a safe and happy holiday time for each of you. Please be mindful of how you celebrate, how you gather, and the measure you take to protect yourselves and your families. This can help us to keep students in the classrooms and avoid the starts and stops that will likely come throughout the winter months. It is the teamwork of washing our hands, keeping your distance, wearing your face covering, and staying home when you are sick that will allow us to remain open for our children.
In-Person Instruction Continues: Redding School District will carry on with In-Person Schooling five days per week on November 30, 2020, after the Thanksgiving break in order to continue to educate and guide our students.
As you are aware, Shasta County is experiencing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases as well as hospitalizations. This increase has placed our county on the most restrictive Purple Tier. We are also aware of Governor Newsome’s recent stay at home order. Redding Schools are following Shasta County and California Health guidelines for schools and those processes and procedures remain critical to our schools remaining open to In-Person Instruction. We all need to continue to be vigilant with providing our students with a solid education focused on learning while maintaining a safe environment. Please review our on-campus health protocols so we can all remain safe.
Ongoing Challenges: These processes and procedures have brought unforeseen challenges that weigh heavily on our operations. When students are sick or are in close contact with a COVID case, quarantines are triggered. School offices are then tracking quarantine timelines and testing information for multiple students. It does put stress on the already busy system. We do not take the decision to quarantine students lightly but know that they are necessary to ensure safety. When staff exhibit symptoms, schools face significant challenges in getting substitutes when needed. We hope that we are not forced to cancel In-Person schooling for short periods of time due to these staffing shortages. I am committed to clear and honest messaging. Public Health requirements state that if 5% of the school population (staff and students) is concurrently infected, then the entire campus should go to Distance Learning. Example: Sequoia Middle (450 staff/students * 5% = 22 members out with COVID-19. No campus has met this rule. Turtle Bay paused In-Person instruction as a precaution of current and pending cases but was still well short of the 5% rule.
I am proud of the fact that Redding Schools are more determined than ever to meet our students’ needs. Additionally, with a perseverance mindset, I can emphatically state that we are doing the right work. We have instituted tutoring within all of our programs and counselors have been hired on each of the seven Redding School District campuses. Our staff's commitment, resolve, and dedication to developing our students academically, socially, and emotionally is without bounds.
Let’s continue to stand together in these unusual times and have a great and safe Thanksgiving Holiday break.
Rob
Superintendent