COVID Reopening Schools
Reopening Schools & Expanded Learning
California
Department of Education - Stronger Together: A Guidebook for
the Safe Reopening of California’s Public Schools (June 8,
2020)
This guidance was created through the statewide reopening schools
task force that fostered a collaborative process for our
educators and stakeholders to lend their important voices. Also
informed by the technical assistance and advice of many health
and safety organizations including the Centers for Disease
Control, California Department of Public Health, California
Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the intent of this
document is to be a guide for the local discussion on safely
reopening schools.
Additional Resources:
- California Safe Schools For All Hub – School Reopening for In-Person Instruction Status
- Stronger Together – Expanded Learning Specific Guidance
- SPI News Conference: Safe Reopening of Schools (June 8, 2020)
- SPI Webinar: Safe Reopening of Schools (June 8, 2020)
- Fireside Chats with Michael Funk, Director of the Expanded Learning Division of CDE
- Afterschool Alliance Blog – Reopening in California: “Programs need to be there from the beginning” – Guest Blogger, Michael Funk (July 9, 2020)
AB86 Information & Resources
The California Legislature provided $6.6 billion in the Assembly Bill 86 COVID-19 relief package, including $2 billion for In-Person Instruction (IPI) Grants and $4.6 billion for Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) Grants. Governor Newsom signed AB 86 on March 5, 2021.
There is no application required to receive AB 86 funding. In May 2021, eligible entities will receive an apportionment that represents 50 percent of their allocation for both the IPI and ELO Grants. In August 2021, eligible entities will receive the remaining 50 percent of their allocation, less any reduction or forfeiture of IPI Grants described below.
Below are some key resources to learn more about the AB86 ELO Grants:
State and Federal Guidelines & Requirements
- US Department of Education (ED) – COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools (February 2021)
- CDE EXLD Guidance – License Exempt Waivers (October 20, 2020)
- CDE – Back to the Classroom with Caution (September 2, 2020)
- CDE EXLD Guidance - COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions 2020-21 (Aug 5, 2020)
-
California Department of Public Health – Providing Targeted,
Specialized Support and Services at School Guidance
(Updated September 4, 2020)
- See the question on page 3 of the document- What is the maximum size for cohorts? Review carefully the underlined responses to the question.
- Blueprint to Safer Economy (helps identify the status of CA Counties)
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s Pandemic Plan for Learning and Safe Schools (July 17, 2020)
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH) & Cal OSHA – COVID-19 INDUSTRY GUIDANCE: Schools and School- Based Programs
- CDPH – COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning, Framework for K-12 Schools in California, 2020-2021 School Year (July 17, 2020)
Afterschool/Expanded Learning
- Fireside Chats with Michael Funk, Director of the Expanded Learning Division of CDE
- Afterschool Alliance – Community Learning Hubs
- PCY - No Longer Optional: Expanded Learning in School Reopening
- PCY – COVID Quick Guide: Expanded Learning Supports
- Afterschool Alliance - A School Year Like No Other Demands A New Learning Day: A Blueprint for How Afterschool Programs & Community Partners Can Help.
- American Institutes for Research - Recognizing the Role of Afterschool and Summer Programs and Systems in Reopening and Rebuilding
- EdSource - To reopen safely and responsibly, schools need their afterschool partners
- Afterschool Alliance Blog - Recognizing the role of afterschool and summer programs and systems in reopening and rebuilding
- LIAS Blog - Re-Opening Afterschool: Priorities and Practice
Physical Health and Safety
- California Safer At Work COVID-19 Employer Portal
- U.S. Office of Child Care - Briefs about Health and Safety Topics for Child Care Programs (Updated July 2020)
- California Collaborative for Educational Excellence – Health & Safety Guidebook
- Transcend – Curated Collection, Physical Health and Safety Resources
- Playworks – School Reopening Workbook
Equity in Reopening Schools
- The Aspen Institute - Recovery and Renewal: Principles for Advancing Public Education Post-Crisis Check out the column in EdWeek and the Webinar Series to learn more about moving from principle to action.
- Alliance for Quality Education - Community-Centered Roadmap for a Just School Reopening
- California Partnership for the Future of Learning Community Needs Assessment - Every School. Every Community. Beyond COVID-19.
- Catalyst:Ed – A Roadmap for Schools and Systems, Navigating This Year and Beyond in a COVID World
- California Children’s Trust - Strategies to Stabilize and Sustain Youth Behavioral Health During COVID-19
- MindShift - How Students Benefit from a School Reopening Plan Designed for Those at the Margins
- National Equity Project – What if We…Don’t Return to School as Usual
- Teaching Tolerance – Teaching as Activism, Teaching as Care
Supporting SEL and the Whole Child During Reopening
- American Institutes for Research - COVID-19 and Whole Child Efforts
- Child Trends - As schools reopen, addressing COVID-19-related trauma and mental health issues will take more than mental health services (July 28, 2020)
- CASEL - Reunite, Renew, and Thrive: Social and Emotional Learning Roadmap for Reopening School
- CASEL – An Initial Guide to Leveraging the Power of Social and Emotional Learning As You Prepare to Reopen and Renew Your School Community
- Child Mind Institue - Managing Anxiety During Reopening
- Collaborative Classroom - Reconnecting and Rebuilding Toolkit, K–6
- Newschools Venture Fund – How to Meet Students’ Social-Emotional and Academic Needs When Schools Reopen
- Rennie Center – Back-To-School Blueprint (Current Action Guides Include Helping Students Heal from Trauma and Rebuilding Community)
- Transforming Education - Head & Heart: An expanded approach to meeting students’ needs as schools reopen
Local Examples & Resources
- Alameda County Office of Education – Road to Re-Opening Workbook
- Kern County Superintendent of Schools Back-to-School Roadmap
- Los Angeles County Office of Education - Rising to the Challenge of COVID-19, A Planning Framework for the 2020-21 School Year
- Sonoma County Office of Education - School Reopening Considerations: Planning and Assumptions
- San Diego County Office of Education - Pandemic Response Plan Template (Note: This template may be helpful to consider scenario planning)
-
For a full list of County Offices who have issued guidance visit EdSource – Seeking Guidance for Reopening Schools?
State Resources
- Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) - School Reopening Report May 2020
- California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) - Recovering and Improving Stronger: A Memo Outlining Recommendations to Support Short- and Long-Term Emergency Response Capacities Within California Schools
- CCEE - Five Resources to Support Safe Schools Reopening
- CCEE (developed collaboratively with Riverside and San Diego COEs) – Continuity of Learning Playbooks - provides guidance about how to best leverage existing resources to support the continuity of learning for all students. Whether LEAs are implementing an on-site, remote, or hybrid model, this Playbook will support school and district leadership teams make evidence-based decisions aligned with best practices.
National (& Other State) Resources
- AASA, The School Superintendents Association – Guidelines for Reopening Schools
- The American Federation of Teachers - A Plan to Safely Reopen America’s Schools and Communities
- The Aspen Institute - Supporting Students to be Independent Learners: State and District Actions for the Pandemic Era
- The Learning Policy Institue - Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond
- National Education Association - All Hands on Deck: Initial Guidance Regarding Reopening School Buildings
- Virginia Department of Education – Return to School Planning Equity Audit
Summer Learning
- American Camp Association and YMCA of the USA – Field Guide for Opening Summer Camps
- American Institutes for Research - Navigating Summertime Experiences in 2020: Helpful Resources and Support for Program Providers
- Denver Afterschool Alliance – COVID-19 Summer Program Toolkit (and trainings)
- National Conference of State Legislatures - COVID-19 Recovery: Leveraging Afterschool and Summer to Help Students Catch Up, Keep Up
- National League of Cities – Reopening Youth Summer Learning Programs