Dear FVSD Families:
As many of you already know, The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued updated guidance on physical distancing in classrooms. The new guidance allows for a minimum of three feet of physical distancing, student to student, inside a classroom, instead of six feet. This change in physical distancing guidelines from six feet to three feet allows us to accommodate more students on campus at one time, and also allows us to find ways to increase valuable in-person instructional time.
As shared in our initial Reopening Schools Plan in August, 2020, as well as in ongoing communications this year, our goal has always been to provide as much in-person instructional time for our students in our Hybrid Programs. In addition, we have also shared the Board of Trustees recent direction to “engage, with great urgency, on expanded plans to bring all elementary and middle school students on campus to either a full-modified traditional or “fuller” days by the end of April/early May.” In alignment with our original goal as well as the Board’s directive, please see the following updates below.
Elementary School Update (Grades TK-5)
Beginning Monday, April 26th – Current students in our Elementary Hybrid Program will begin attending a Modified Traditional Schedule. The Modified Traditional Schedule is extremely similar to the regular schedule our elementary school students attended prior to COVID-19, but it continues to include enhanced safety measures. The Modified Traditional Schedule is attached to this message, but the table below provide a snapshot of the instructional day.
| Day(s) | Grades | Arrival | Dismissal |
| Mondays - Teacher Planning | All (TK-5) | 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| Tuesdays - Fridays | TK - 2 | 8:00 AM | 1:45 PM |
| 3 - 5 | 8:00 AM | 2:15 PM |
Middle School Update
With regard to our middle schools, there are a number of additional factors and complexities that need to be considered and finalized before implementing more in-person instructional time for our students. Some of these factors include: potential changes to the Master Schedule, class roster reconfigurations, class sizes (typically larger than elementary classrooms), lunch schedules, etc. Although our teams have made tremendous progress on our plan, we do need additional time to work out all of the logistics, and anticipate finalizing those details on April 19th. Please know we are fully committed to adding more in-person instructional time for our middle school students that meets the Board’s timeline for implementation in late April/early May. We will communicate all updates as they become available.
In the meantime, beginning next week, Tuesday, April 20th, all middle school sites will provide additional in-person opportunities for intervention, enrichment, and/or clubs during afternoon “office hours.” Principals are finalizing details with their staff members, and will be communicating details in the coming days.
Special Day Class (SDC) Update
Elementary SDC Students
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In order to support a return to a Modified Traditional Schedule, all SDC elementary students will start one week early on Monday, April 19th, and follow the attached Modified Traditional Schedule. Additional information will also be shared later this week from our Special Education teams with families.
Middle School SDC Students
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We are also pleased to announce that our middle school SDC students will return to additional days of in-person learning starting the week of Monday, April 26th. Additional information will also be shared later this week from our Special Education teams with families.
FVSDConnected Update
Our FVSDConnected students will remain in their current remote/virtual program for the remainder of the school year. However, we understand that with this shift to a Modified Traditional Schedule for our TK-5 students, there may be some interest from our virtual families to move to in-person instruction. Please know that due to space and capacity constraints, there will be limitations to make any moves at this time.
Safety Guidelines
Fountain Valley School District will continue following all of the health and safety guidelines established by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA). These measures include face coverings, daily health screenings, physical distancing, enhanced ventilation systems, plexiglass shielding, handwashing/hand sanitizing protocols, and increased cleaning and disinfecting practices.
We are all excited to return to a more normal school day for our TK-5 students and look forward to sharing an update on our middle school schedules in the near future. On behalf of our Board of Trustees and our entire District, we want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we adjust to the newest health and safety guidelines that allow us to increase the number of students in our classrooms. FVSD greatly appreciates its teachers, support staff and administrators who continue to work diligently and collaboratively to bring students back to school for more in-person instruction.
Thank you for everything you do to support teaching and learning!
Kindly,
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent