2021-22 Welcome Back Letter to Families

August 3, 2021

Dear Families,

We are now less than two weeks away from the opening of our schools for the 2021-2022 school year and Whittier Union is committed to reopening fully and safely.  As we have seen throughout this pandemic, the rules imposed by the State of California and the County of Los Angeles are ever changing and we are working on adapting to those changes.  Our commitment to our families is that your children will attend schools that are safe and provide the best education possible for all students.  

With this in mind, we would like to let you know what we are doing to keep our students and staff safe as we reopen schools and what the current state and county rules are for our schools knowing that they can change. 

• We are asking all of our families to do a health screening of your child each day before they leave the household.   If they are not feeling well, we ask that you keep your student home until they are symptom free for 24 hours.   Please notify the school’s attendance office to report their absence. This is to ensure the safety of your children and the other students.  
• When students return to school from an absence, they will need to check in at the attendance office to receive a readmit slip to return to class. 
• Every student will be required to wear a mask while indoors on our campuses.  We will do mask checks each morning at the front gate and will issue disposable masks to students who fail to bring one to campus.  Cloth masks should be washed between uses.  
• Should your child get sick during the day, they will be isolated immediately and we will ask that someone come to pick them up as quickly as possible. For families who wish, we will also be able to give them a rapid COVID test prior to being picked up for everyone’s safety. This test is optional.  
• If your child is absent from school exhibiting signs of COVID, we would recommend that you get them tested as soon as possible or visit your doctor for an assessment.  If you are unable to secure a test, we will have tests available before they return to campus.  If students have COVID symptoms but fail to take a test or secure a doctor’s note to return to school, county guidelines require us to isolate those students at home for 10 days.  The quickest way back to campus after symptoms have gone away is to have your child tested.  
• If your child tests positive for COVID, we ask that you contact the school as soon as possible so that we can determine if there were any close contacts while on campus.  
• If your child is a close contact* to someone who has tested positive for COVID, you will be notified. Per L.A. County guidelines your student’s vaccination status will determine our next steps.
  • If your child is fully vaccinated, they will be allowed to stay on campus but must monitor their symptoms for 14 days.  Please upload your student’s vaccination status through your AERIES parent portal.  

If you would like to have your child vaccinated here is a link to available vaccination sites in our community.  

Whittier Union will also be sponsoring vaccination clinics on our sites once school is reopened.  

• We will continue to arrange vaccination clinics for those wishing to get their child vaccinated. The campuses will provide more information after school resumes.
• Additional information is available on the District website linked below.

2021-2022 COVID COMPLIANCE AND SAFETY INFORMATION

We are looking forward to opening our schools and getting our students back on campus in a safe environment. There are many things beyond our control during this pandemic, but the education of your students remains our mission and we are committed to doing it in the safest environment possible.  Should you have any questions, please contact your school’s office who will be able to assist you.

Sincerely,

Martin J. Plourde

Superintendent