Dear SLUSD Community,

I am pleased to share our Reopening Plan that was discussed at last night’s school board meeting. Click here to review the Reopening Plan. Translated versions are available on our website at www.slusd.us. The plan includes the components required by the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) to reopen our school facilities and will be submitted for their review. 

Before sharing highlights, there are several points to keep in mind:

• TIMING: You may be rightly concerned and have questions about submitting a reopening plan when our current local health conditions are so troubling. It is important to note that we CANNOT reopen in our county’s current status. However, we absolutely must plan and prepare to be ready for the time when it comes. This is why we need our plan to be reviewed by ACOE, our public health department, and most importantly by you. Your feedback on our planning is essential to our success. Please keep the #SLUSDstrong communication going by sharing your feedback here.
  
• PURPOSE: This plan meets state guidelines for school districts to be permitted to open for in-person instruction, after review by ACOE. As we move closer to our target date of mid-March, you will be receiving much more information, including a Family Intent to Return to In-person Learning that will indicate your preference for our return. Know that full distance learning will continue to be an option throughout the 2020-21 school year.
  
• COLLABORATION: We are currently negotiating the impacts of our phased-in reopening approach with our teachers’ union. Know that the plan you see here is subject to agreements with our labor partners and will likely have to adapt and change. We will have concluded negotiations with our classified unions regarding the reopening process, pending ratification, and their partnership has been instrumental in this work. 

It is my hope that you will see how much your voice has directly influenced our Reopening Plan through surveys, meetings, and ongoing feedback. For that, I am deeply grateful.

 My family and I wish you and your loved ones the happiest and healthiest of holiday seasons. Join me in bidding farewell to a year none of us will ever forget.

Mike McLaughlin, Ed.D.
Superintendent