July 17, 2020 (Source: San Marcos Unified School District Website)

Dear SMUSD Community,

Earlier today, Governor Newsom ordered that all schools in counties located on the state’s COVID-19 County Monitoring List “must not physically open for in-person instruction” until certain conditions are met, namely, that their county has come off of the state’s Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days. As of Friday, 33 of California’s 58 counties are on this list, including our own San Diego County. As a result, San Marcos Unified District schools will open the 2020/2021 school year with a fully remote learning model.

In addition to announcing school reopening requirements, the Governor clarified some of the state-level expectations around face coverings, physical distancing, health screenings, and protocols for confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a school and/or district. Full details of Governor Newsom’s Learning and Safe Schools plan can be found here.

On July 21st, we will present to the SMUSD Governing Board our recommended instructional models and return to school plan for the 2020/2021 school year: a) in-person instructional models when we are allowed to return to our brick and mortar schools, b) an improved remote learning model in response to school closures, and c) a year-long virtual school option for those families that prefer not to return to a traditional school site.

We recognize that the Governor’s latest order requiring our district to continue distance learning into the new school year poses challenges and hardship for many families. We will continue to work diligently to provide an updated, rigorous remote learning experience for our students and will partner with community agencies to help meet the multifaceted needs of our families during this time, while we refine and finalize our plans for a safe return to in-person instruction.

We will communicate updated information regarding our reopening plans to our community after our July 21st board meeting.

We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we adjust to these ever-changing conditions.

Thank you,

Dr. García
Superintendent