Dear Parents,
Citing declining case rates and hospitalizations, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that the state would be downgrading face-mask requirements to a strong recommendation for indoor areas (with some exceptions) beginning on March 12.
Updated guidance: The California Dept of Public Health will be updating its guidance to reflect that after 11:59 p.m. on March 11, 2022, masks for students and staff members in K-12 settings will be strongly recommended, rather than required. However, school districts may be more restrictive and continue their masking requirements based on conditions impacting their families.
What this means for our schools: Masking, among other strategies, has enabled us to continue in-person learning during COVID. For the time being, our schools will continue to require indoor and outdoor masking.
Factors we are considering when weighing changes: There are several factors we are considering to determine when/if MVWSD moves from masking requirement to masking recommendation:
* Data (positive case rate, vaccination rates, etc.) at the school level. As case rates continue to trend downward, it's likely that our outdoor mask requirement will be the first to be lifted.
* Guidance from Santa Clara County Public Health
* Guidance from OSHA regarding requirements for employees
* Discussion of masking protocols with the Board of Trustees at the March 10 meeting.
For the next couple of weeks, our schools will continue the mitigation strategies that have been very effective so far: On-campus COVID testing and positive cases staying home, high-quality ventilation, indoor and outdoor masking, etc. On March 10, staff will be presenting COVID data and providing an update to the Board of Trustees on which, if any, mitigation strategies will be relaxed. For COVID protocols and dashboard, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/returntolearn.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we transition to another phase of the pandemic and as we work to keep our community as safe and healthy as possible.
Respectfully,
Dr. Ayindé Rudolph, Ed.D.
Superintendent