Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan 2020-2021
The final version of NUSD’s Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan is available for your review. Please see below. We’ve also posted the feedback from the Stakeholder Engagement survey that asked families and staff to complete. The Board is being asked to take action on the plan at the September 23 Board of Education meeting.
Final Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (English)
Final Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (Spanish)
Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan Responses (Raw Data)
Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (English)
Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (Spanish)
Stakeholder Input Form
Public Hearing Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan on September 9, 2020
Presentation to the Board of Education on August 26, 2020
Stakeholder Engagement Efforts Related to Plan
Public Posting on Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan
Six Pillars to Successfully Reopening Schools
Public Hearing Date
September 9, 2020
Available by Livestream at staging.natomasunified.org/board-of-trustees/videos
Board Action
September 23, 2020
Available by Livestream at staging.natomasunified.org/board-of-trustees/videos
Executive Summary
Since March 2020 when Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) was required to physically close our facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we focused our delivery of service to students and staff into Six Pillars to ensure we were addressing the most pressing needs of our families as a result of the pandemic and in particular a distance learning environment and in-person environment, when allowable.
The Six Pillars to Successfully Reopening Schools, which was presented to the NUSD Board of Trustees and Community on May 20, 2020, included the following areas of focus:
- Eliminating the Digital Divide
- Providing Families with Educational Options
- Expanding Physical Health and Safety of Students and Staff
- Expanding Emotional Health of Students and Staff
- Feeding Our Students
- Creating a Culture of Connectivity in a New School Environment
In alignment with NUSD’s Core Beliefs and Goals, the Six Pillars have been our guide as we plan and make decisions for this extraordinary, unprecedented time that has significantly impacted the way we deliver service to our families. The Six Pillars to Successfully Reopening Schools is directly aligned with the major areas that must be addressed in the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan and will be reflected throughout the plan.
The actual draft plan is over 40 pages. Some highlighted actions are provided and reflected in the categories of our Six Pillars:
Eliminating the Digital Divide – Since NUSD has been providing instruction in Distance Learning since April 2020, we have made tremendous investments in technology to support students learning from home. The district has purchased Chromebooks and WiFi Hotspots to ensure that all students have access to be actively engaged in learning.
Expanding Physical Health and Safety of Students and Staff – To ensure we are prepared when we are able to return to NUSD physical buildings, extensive work has been done at each school site and district office to make sure it’s a safe environment for all where social distancing is practiced, personal protective equipment is available, and safety precautions are instituted.
Providing Families with Educational Options – Our staff continues to adjust to a virtual setting by learning the different technologies and resources available to provide instruction online, connect and engage students, and adjust their normal day-to-day functions from in-person to virtual. We’ve negotiated multiple MOUs with the Natomas Teachers Association (NTA) and the local Chapter of Classified School Employee Association (CSEA) that support this new environment and the impact it has on staff, students, and community.
Our students started the new school year in distance learning with live instruction and activities within their classes to promote social-emotional connectedness. Meanwhile, pending negotiations with our labor associations and guidelines from the State, we will have specifics and direction of what in-person instruction will look like, and apart from these actions, we will implement our collective bargaining agreement wherever applicable language already exists in terms of instruction.
Expanding Emotional Health of Students and Staff – We have increased our social-emotional support for our students because of the current need and future impact the COVID-19 pandemic will have on them and their families. The plan will reflect the addition of resources and staff in this area including the addition of social workers at all of our elementary and K-8 campuses and a dedicated one for Foster/Homeless Youth.
Creating a Culture of Connectivity in a New School Environment – Knowing that our students thrive and look forward to the connectedness that happens with classmates and adults on campus, we are providing virtual opportunities for students to receive that connectedness with a $1 million investment in extracurricular activities such as athletics, music/band, theater, clubs, rallies, etc.
Feeding Our Students – From the onset of our physical closure, our meal service was a constant in our community providing breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks at no cost to children 18 years and younger. The plan will elaborate on the shifts we have made with the start of the school in distance learning to continue to feed and service our students.
There are many efforts that Natomas Unified School District has made and continues to make to serve our students the best that we possibly can during distance learning and when we are allowed to return to in-person instruction. The Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan will reflect those efforts with the understanding that when new State, County, and Local guidelines are introduced and required, the district may need to adjust its plans to ensure we are in compliance.
We encourage our community to read the plan and submit input using the form at this link prior to our public hearing to be held on September 9, 2020, if at all possible. The State requires us to request approval of the plan from our Board of Trustees no later than September 30, 2020. NUSD will present the final plan to the Trustees at the September 23, 2020, Board meeting.
