District meets to discuss reopening in-person schools

Superintendent Dr. Doug Kimberly and senior cabinet members presented an update on the district’s Draft School Reopening Plan 2020-21 last night at the regular meeting of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District Board of Trustees. The district provides the education for Canyon Lake elementary school, middle school and high school students.

“Defining our plan to reopen schools when it is safe to do so is our primary focus,” Dr. Kimberly said. “The draft plan for public review illustrates the complexity of reopening under COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Under a hybrid learning model featuring some in-person instruction and distance learning, school will feel and look different.”

The Board of Trustees and executive staff have been working in unison with the Lake Elsinore Teachers Association and California School Employees Association and its Chapter 598 to develop plans to safely and effectively reopen schools this school year while minimizing learning disruptions.

“School reopening timelines and student schedules are actively under negotiation, so those elements are not included in the draft,” Dr. Kimberly said. “Once student schedules and reopening timelines are complete and available to the public, we can then schedule a Special Meeting in October for Trustees to adopt the final school reopening plan.”

With Riverside County recently moving to the red tier, the school district is able to open schools to some degree of in-person instruction. The district board will be determining what that looks like and when it will be implemented.

“When it comes to reopening schools, our district is directly connected to the safety and welfare of tens of thousands of county residents,” Dr. Kimberly said. “We recognize the need to minimize excessive disruption to the lives of our students, their families and district employees. It is our pledge to limit the impact of school reopening transitions when public health conditions permit us to move forward.

School reopening planning has been in motion since last spring, Dr. Kimberly said.

“Public Health guidelines and safety are the fabric woven through all our plans and discussions,” he said. “Because reopening timelines are conditional, dates for reopening schools are somewhat unpredictable.”