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Dear Los Alamitos Families and Community,
We hope you’ve had a wonderful week. Over the course of the pandemic, the perseverance of our staff, students and families has been beyond admirable. I know it has not been an easy time, but we’ve become stronger and better together. Tomorrow we begin the next phase of this journey together and as such, we wanted to remind you of recent changes to the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) guidance for K-12 schools.
What changes will you see on school campuses?
- Beginning Saturday, March 12, face coverings will no longer be required indoors for staff, students and visitors on school campuses, buses, and at school events. Rather, masking is a choice for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status.
- CDPH has changed the mask guidance for schools when indoors and on school buses from mandatory to “strongly recommended.”
- Students who participate in all extracurricular activities, including athletics, clubs, music and performing arts will no longer be required to wear face coverings.
- Weekly COVID-19 testing for students will no longer be required for athletics and performing arts activities. Testing may still be required for overnight field trips.
- Changes to the previous modified quarantine procedures now allow students exposed to someone with COVID-19 to participate in both school and extracurricular activities. Masking is not required for exposed students but is “strongly recommended” by CDPH.
What will not change?
- Group tracing approach, meaning schools will continue to notify families of students who spent at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour time period in a shared indoor airspace with someone who had COVID-19.
- The CDPH continues to require weekly COVID-19 testing of unvaccinated employees and school volunteers.
- Our commitment to safe and welcoming learning environments. We will continue to:
- Encourage frequent hand washing
- HEPA Air Purification Units
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols
- Ask students and staff to self-monitor for symptoms daily
- Provide face masks at sites for students and staff who wish to wear them
For additional information on updated CDPH guidance, please see our Frequently Asked Questions on our website.
We recognize the revised guidance may come with different feelings from members of our school community. Some welcome the announced changes while others have concerns. While we may hold different opinions, we ask for the support of our school communities to treat each other with kindness, respect, empathy, and understanding.
There may be individual and private reasons why staff and students choose to wear or not wear a face covering. We encourage members of our school communities to avoid making assumptions regarding someone’s beliefs or health status based upon their mask choice. Additionally, families may want to have a conversation with their children about respecting differences in others, including the difference of opinion, and our unique ability to be kind and respect each other in spite of those differences.
Our strength as a district is in how we work together to support our amazing students and staff. We are grateful for your ongoing support and partnership.
