ESCONDIDO — The Escondido Union High School District (EUHSD) is in the second week of its phased reopening plan, which allows small groups including special education students and English learners to return to campus first while opening campuses to some after school learning workshops for other students.
District superintendent Dr. Anne Staffieri announced the phased reopening plan after the county confirmed that San Diego would remain in the red phase for COVID-19 reopening and avoid moving into the more restrictive purple category.
“Families of students eligible to return to campus on September 28 and the following weeks will be receiving further communication and a survey to commit to their student either joining a small and stable group on campus or remaining at home to continue distance learning,” Staffieri said in an email to the district’s families.
Staffieri said that the district will continue with distance learning for the next grading period, Sept. 28 to Nov. 6, with the exception of these small groups.
In this first phase of reopening, English learners, moderate to severe special education students and self-contained special education classes will be able to return to campus up to four days per week, with up to 8% of the school population on campus at one time, according to the district’s reopening plan.
The district board was set to meet on Oct. 13 to evaluate the progress of campus reopening.
“Our Governing Board will convene a special meeting on the topic of campus reopening,” Staffieri said. “At that meeting, we will provide an update and report of progress on both our Distance Learning programs as well as our first 6 days of students returning to campus.”
Starting Oct. 9, all students were able to return to campus after school for learning activities. During this phase, up to 25% of students can be on campus at one time, according to the reopening plan.
Once the county enters the orange phase, the district will return all students to campus for a blended learning model, with students on campus for two days per week, and participating in virtual distance learning for the remainder of the week.
“As a district, we will continue to work towards transitioning to our two-day blended model on campus, in person, when guidance from local health officials and local conditions support a safe transition back to learning on campus at this scale,” Staffieri said. “The safety of our students, families, and staff continues to be our top priority. The ultimate goal is for all of our campuses to return to a full reopening as soon as conditions permit.”
