Special LTUSD board meeting being held to vote on reopening plan

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. _ There is a special meeting of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) on Thursday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss and take action on a reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year.

LTUSD Superintendent Dr. Todd Cutler will unveil a four-phase plan for the board, one that starts school with distance learning for all students. Each phase presumes a six-week period of instruction (or ½ trimentster) in a learning model, with reassessment two weeks prior to the end of each six-week period to assess the ability to pivot to a different phase, or continue in the current phase. The notice would allow propert planning time for the community, families, staff, and students.

Cutler and the district, in collaboration with the LTUSD taskforce and local health experts have created the plan. The guidance allows for LTUSD to implement a risk assessment of the COVID-19 Pandemic impact on the local community, analyze community spread, and assess the necessary safety protocols needed to strategically move between phases of distance and in-person learning.

Phase 1 has all schools closed for in-person instruction, with the exception
of children at-risk as identified by teacher or need. LTUSD would enact a food service program, all athletics are suspended, all inter-school activities are
discontinued and all after-school activities are suspended.

If the health situation is deemed safe enough to attend school, Phase 2 would be enacted with in-person instruction via a hybrid cohort model. Every ten days, students would be distance learning five days, and in the class room five days. Masks would be required by all students in grades 3-12 with younger ages encouraged but not required to wear them. This phase will happen only with guidance by health officials with safety protocols. If on the state's monitoring list, El Dorado County would have to be off the list for 14 days prior to Phase 2. Lunchroom and busing protocols would be in place.

If health partnerships give the okay, Phase 3 would be a modified cohort plan with both A and B cohorts in class at the same time four days a week, and one day a week distance learning for pre-K to 5th grade, and grades 6-12 would be on the same cohort schedule as Phase 2. As community spread decreases, cohort sizes can increase, thereby allowing for the return of elementary students to a 5 day/week schedule. Indoor events are limited to 50 people. Outdoor events are limited to
250 people. Spectators not part of the same household must always maintain six feet of distance from one another.

If conditions are satisfactory, Phase 4 would move back to traditional classroom instruction for all grades.

Each plan's details can be found on the agenda HERE.

Instructions to view the meeting via Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82678963565?pwd=VEFUTzRMMWxvb1Y0MnZ5L2lqMlZodz09

Public comment in a Special Meeting is limited to only those items described in the agenda.

In accordance with Executive Order N-29-20 Stay at Home order the Board room will be closed to members of the public and all public participation will be handled remotely. Observers may join the meeting on this Zoom link and public comment is welcomed in the following ways:

1. By submitting a request for public comment on any item on the agenda between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the meeting date by COMPLETING THE "PUBLIC COMMENT FORM" AVAILABLE ON THE DISTRICT WEBSITE AT WWW.LTUSD.ORG ON THE MAIN MENU. You will sign into the Zoom meeting and wait to be called.

If your comment is on an item that is on the agenda, you will be called AFTER the agenda item is discussed.

2. If you are not able to complete the online form referenced in option 1, please call Shannon Chandler at (530) 541-2850 ext.1025 at any time before 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30 to make alternative arrangements.

3. You may submit a comment in writing via email by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, to info@ltusd.org . If it pertains to an item on the agenda, your comment will be read into the record.

All public comments will be limited to 3 minutes.