By Kathy Chouteau
The West Contra Cost Unified School District (WCCUSD) released its “100 percent Return to In-Person Instruction Plan” to its school community Monday, following the results of three internal working groups and feedback from the district community, the district said in a statement. Also solidified was the WCCUSD’s first day of the 2021-2022 school year, which will be Monday, Aug. 16.
Informed by the internal working groups, school community and guidelines from the California Department of Health (CDPH), the WCCUSD’s Return to School plan focuses on three areas: Instruction Core/Social Emotional Learning/Technology, Operations and Community Engagement/Communications, said the district. To view the plan, click here.
Key facets of the district’s plan include masking for everyone indoors, separating by a physical distance of three feet whenever possible, hand hygiene and at-home screening for both staff and students, according to the WCCUSD.
Another essential part of the plan includes rolling out a Restorative Start for the first six weeks of school focusing on these elements: Student/staff relationships; students’ social-emotional needs; community partnerships and staff training; relevant and rigorous curriculum; and evaluation and implementation of systems for long-term transformation, per the district.
The district’s Return to School plan was spurred by the WCCUSD’s Board of Education adoption of the following statement about such an initiative at its May 5 board meeting: “The district will reopen for 100 percent in-person learning this fall pursuant to local, state, and federal guidelines and with additional resources provided by WCCUSD to schools in need of them. These resources may include but are not limited to additional counselors, mental health services, custodians, CSO’s, etc. and the district will make these recommendations to the board this summer.”
According to the WCCUSD, it will host a series of info sessions about the 100 percent Return to In-Person Learning Plan kicking off the week of July 26. Stay updated about the sessions on the district’s website. To view the plan, click here. Watch WCCUSD Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst talk about the plan for fall in a video here.
