County’s Red Tier allows for schools to reopen

With the lowering of Riverside County’s COVID-19 risk tier from Purple to Red, the Lake Elsinore Unified School District now has the option of reopening its schools, of which Canyon Lake is a part, to in-person attendance.

The district said in a press release Wednesday that it will present its draft 2020-21 School Reopening Plan and timelines to its Board of Trustees at its Regular Board meeting of Oct. 8. The board will make decisions about when and if the schools, some of which are attended by Canyon Lake students, will convert from distance learning to in-person attendance.

Safety measures under the reopening plan include facilities modifications for maintaining social distancing and cohorts, controls for movement within the school, implementing health screening for students and staff, compliance with facial coverings requirements and PPE, daily sanitizing and disinfection protocol, reporting exposure to COVID-19 and outbreak notification and staff training and family education, hygiene practices and communication plans.

For parents who indicated a preference for 100% distance learning when surveyed during the summer, a follow-up survey was sent to them to ask if they wanted to continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

The County of Riverside COVID-19 risk tier was changed from the Purple Tier to the Red Tier on Tuesday. Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate.

In the Red Tier, schools are eligible to reopen by following modified in-person schedules and rigorous health and safety guidelines from the California Department of Public Health. Schools must follow guidelines for a phased reopening in consultation with local health authorities.

Concurrently with the move to the Red Tier, a wait period of 14 days is required to determine whether or not COVID-19 case and positivity rates are sufficiently stable for schools and other sectors of the economy to reopen.

The Lake Elsinore Unified School District Board of Trustees and executive staff have been working in unison with the Lake Elsinore Teachers Association and the California School Employees Association and its Chapter 598 to develop plans to safely and effectively reopen schools during the 2020-21 school year.

“We recognize the need to minimize excessive disruption to the lives of our students, their families and district employees,” the district news release said. “It is our pledge to limit the impact of school reopening transitions when public health conditions permit us to move forward. Please watch for upcoming news and information via ParentSquare and on our district and school websites.”