Courtesy of San Benito High School District Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum:
Greetings to our San Benito High School students, families, faculty and staff, and community:
We hope that you and your loved ones are doing well. We miss our students, faculty and staff and are appreciative of the support and trust provided by our community throughout the ongoing shelter-in-place and transition to distance learning.
As the current school year winds down over the next month and we prepare for the start of summer school via distance learning in June, we are grateful to our educators for their creativity in encouraging students to engage in the learning process remotely.
For this week’s Superintendent’s Message, I want to offer a reminder that San Benito High School District currently has no plans to change the scheduled start of the 2020-21 school year in August. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office recently noted that the timeline for reopening schools has not been accelerated and added that he is working with school districts and education leaders to determine when on-campus instruction can resume.
As districts across California and the United States prepare for what the reopening of our schools will look like and what changes will be necessary to ensure safety and continued learning, Governor Newsom outlined six critical indicators that will guide the State of California in making modifications to shelter in place orders. On April 28, he identified four phases for lifting the shelter in place orders including schools as a part of phase 2 “Lower Risk Workplaces.”
SBHS is planning for what the 2020-2021 school year will look like, with some physical distancing restrictions likely in place, and the start of the school year likely not looking like a “normal” pre-pandemic time in school. Our goal is to open in person Aug. 13 as scheduled, but there are more questions than answers at this point and we are keenly aware that a blended or hybrid approach (in-person and distance) to learning may be necessary. We’re going to build multiple models and follow the guidance that is coming from the San Benito County Health Department, the California Department of Education and the federal Centers for Disease Control, among others.
Some modifications we and other school districts are potentially considering include:
- Proactively screening students and staff for symptoms
- Avoiding large gatherings and maintaining social distancing keeping in mind
- Hallways
- Lunch/recess
- Sporting events
- Assemblies
- Modified schedules to accommodate reduced in-person class sizes
- Stable cohorts of smaller groups of students
- Integrating distance learning regularly
- Mixing distance and in-person lessons
- Modified number of instructional days and/or instructional minutes per day
- Technology procurement to accommodate continuous learning and a blended format for all students
- Before and after school programs will need modifications depending on demand and physical distancing requirements
Please know that we are carefully considering all factors in determining what school will look like for the 2020-21 school year and how this will impact our families, staff and students. We are analyzing guidance from the state and county as it pertains to our local needs. Additionally, all decisions regarding school calendars and processes for teaching and learning are to be discussed with our bargaining units and determined collectively and collaboratively. We will provide further updates including detailed information regarding logistics and safety measures for the 2020-2021 school year. As always, we thank you for your partnership during this challenging and unique time. I continue to collaborate with my fellow superintendents throughout San Benito County to ensure that all schools are serving the needs of our students and families. Despite these trying times, I am constantly reminded that it is always a great day to be a Baler!
Sincerely,
Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum San Benito High School District Superintendent
