The Capistrano Unified School District announced it will reopen for the 2020-2021 school year in a 100% online model, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s new mandate. On July 17, 2020, Superintendent Kirsten Vital shared the following letter with families:
Good Afternoon CUSD Families,
Earlier this afternoon, Governor Newsom announced that all schools within Orange County will be required to open the 2020-21 school year using an online model ONLY. He made this a requirement for all counties on the state’s coronavirus monitoring list.
As Orange County remains on the state’s monitoring list, CUSD is now required to open 100% online.
We understand that many CUSD families prefer to return to school. If and when the Governor lifts the order, the plans we have developed over the last three months will allow us to quickly adapt to reopening our classrooms and campuses.
We will reopen our classrooms and campuses, based on our Board approved reopening plan, when the newly updated guidelines allow for us to do so safely. This will only occur with the Board of Trustees’ approval.
As we reopen with 100% online learning, I want to reassure our families that we heard about your experiences from the spring and we have been working to upgrade and improve the experience for this next school year. All students deserve a rigorous and engaging education that meets their unique learning needs in an online format.
The centerpiece of our Trustee approved reopening plan is a robust, consistent, and engaging curriculum that aligns with the District’s core values and can be successfully delivered both in a traditional school setting and online. In preparation for returning to school in August, our Board of Trustees approved a comprehensive online curriculum that has been vetted, used consistently with success, and delivers the District core values of rigor, engagement, consistency, and flexibility.
I am grateful for our teachers, principals, and staff who have worked tirelessly to develop our reopening plans and who will continue to do so over the next month. We are committed to providing healthy and safe classrooms, excellence in curriculum and instruction, and support for mental, social and emotional health.
I am also grateful for you, our families, who have had to shift and adjust continuously through this pandemic as you juggle jobs, responsibilities, and school at home. Your patience and understanding as we navigate these changing conditions together has been incredible. I am sure you will have many questions in the days to come, and we will be sending further communication to families next week.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Vital
Superintendent