• Data provided by Public Health
• Equity as a central focus to student-centered decision making
• Mental Health and Wellness 
• Responsibility as a Public School District to offer in-person instruction to the greatest extent possible

Two months equals 43 days.  Forty-three days is roughly a quarter of the school year.  As a public school district, it is our responsibility to provide the maximum amount of quality in-person instruction for our students.

Yes, the board has directed the district to return to full-day in-person learning. The board’s expected outcome is to see students accessing a full day of instruction during the spring.

Information provided by Marin County Public Health is used for decision making. If you believe there are necessary updates to public health information, we recommend that you contact them.

Consistently, MVSD has led with the lens of science, seeking the interests of stakeholder groups, and making decisions that are in the best interest of students. These commitments have kept students and staff safe while providing in-person instruction prior to a vaccine.

In January, we shared an overview of next steps and factors impacting planning for the spring. Recently, we have learned more from our public health partners. Like many other districts throughout Marin, we are moving forward with planning for full day, full-cohort in-person learning.

We have created a timeline, displayed above, for offering a longer school day with typical classroom sizes. We will continue to follow guidance from Marin County Department of Public Health. 

Urgency and thoughtfulness have allowed us to successfully navigate planning and safety in the pandemic and our ability to return to full classes is no exception to that. It is our obligation to continually adapt and respond to this situation as new information and variables are presented. The vaccine brings new hope and protection against COVID-19. At this time, 30% of our staff members, including those working in special education spaces, custodians, and food service workers have been offered the vaccine and while the county has shifted the priority to individuals over the age of 75. We look forward to seeing the rest of our staff being offered the vaccine prior to spring break (April 5th), based on an estimated timeline from Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent.

We will align with Marin County public health guidance and adjust our plans accordingly if new guidance requires us to do so. 

Yes, EDL will continue. 

School site principals are developing bell schedules for full-day in-person learning.

The middle school administrators are developing a schedule, and will provide updates when available.

Currently, in person instruction consists of two sessions- AM and PM. Full-day, in-person instruction will allow double what children are receiving currently. Schedules will be provided soon.

No, a return to in-person instruction for a full day will be similar to former school year schedules.

Art, physical education, library, and music are part of the fabric of our school day in Mill Valley School District. We intend to integrate specialist education within the full-day schedules.

Special Education services will continue. Please consult with your case manager for questions.

Related to quarantining, the district will follow guidelines from public health that are current in April. These guidelines are determined by what Tier Marin County is in. As Dr. Santora shared in our meeting, Public Health does not recommend a delay to in-person instruction following scheduled breaks.

We will create a schedule and entry/exit routes consistent with the Marin County 30 Point School Guidance:

15. Routes for entry and exit to the campus will be designated for each classroom cohort, using as many entrances/exits as feasible.
16. Schedules for arrivals, recess and lunch will be strategically coordinated to prevent mixing of classroom cohorts.

Per Dr. Lisa Santora of Marin public health, The CDC guidelines support Marin public health’s current recommendations. Marin County schools meet CDC criteria by demonstrating capability to “strictly implement mitigation strategies and have few cases.” There is diversity across the United States in acceptance and adoption of mitigation strategies. Dr. Santora wrote, the “CDC is endeavoring to establish a floor to support the return of students to in-person instruction nationwide. Compared to the nation, California has adopted among the strictest public health policies (i.e., community mitigation strategies - e.g., universal face coverings). Marin County has led the region and the state in ensuring the safest possible opening for in-person instruction by the adoption of strict mitigation strategies.”

According to public health, schools that are open for in-person instruction (either fully open or in a hybrid model) may decide to remain open even at high levels (red) of community transmission. These decisions should be guided by information on school-specific factors such as mitigation strategies implemented, local needs, stakeholder input, the number of cases among students, teachers, and staff, and school experience. Dr. Lisa Santora wrote, “a decision to remain open should involve considerations for further strengthening mitigation strategies and continuing to monitor cases to reassess decisions. This should be driven by a ‘classroom-first’ approach; in-person instruction should be prioritized over extracurricular activities including sports and school events, a common source of school transmission, to minimize risk in schools and protect in-person learning.”

According to Dr. Lisa Santora, the Marin County Public Health Schools Team and the Marin County Office of Education will review updated CDC guidance as they prepare their next update of the 30-point guidance for schools. They will continue to monitor cases and reassess recommendations based on local data and emerging research. Of course, both they and the district respect individual family choices and families who choose to remain in distance learning.

We know that schools are safe places to be, based on public health data and research. Through various public meetings, the Marin County Department of Public Health has shared our local data as well as research citing the very low school transmission rates of COVID-19. Please see this meeting recording featuring Dr. Lisa Santora, Deputy Public Health Officer, citing research studies and sharing data related to the safety of our Marin public schools. Additionally, Dr. Santora shared information at our board meeting yesterday evening regarding COVID-19 safety in our schools.

Marin public health closely follows research related to COVID-19 and schools. Local data demonstrates the effectiveness of School Site Specific Protection Plans (SSSPPs) in mitigating COVID-19 transmission risk. After more than 1 million student days, there have been only 11 suspected cases of school-based transmission in Marin County. See the Marin County schools dashboard for more information. 

Dr. Lisa Santora wrote, “Marin County consistently has the lowest unadjusted case rates in the State (even during our last surge). Fortunately, Marin County, the Bay Area, the state, and the nation are seeing sharp declines in COVID-19 transmission. As structured, supervised, stabilizing environments, schools plan an important factor in reducing COVID-19 transmission community wide (especially among adolescents). We have demonstrated students can safely return to in-person instruction. Marin County public health will continue to monitor data, research, and adjust recommendations if indicated.”

According to Dr. Lisa Santora, "California led the nation with the adoption of a comprehensive four tier community mitigation system (1 – Widespread - Purple; 2- Substantial - Red; 3 – Moderate - Orange; 4 – Minimal - Yellow) that is similar to the CDC thresholds (High – Red; Substantial – Orange; Moderate – Yellow; Low – Blue).  Based on Marin County’s data posted on Wednesday, February 17, we could extrapolate our daily adjusted case rate as a proxy for the CDC indicator.  But it is important to note that California data and tier assignments are based on results from the week ending February 6, 2021. This lag is not considered, articulated, or recommended in the CDC school thresholds, which is based on 'past 7 days.' 

Of note, Marin County has significantly lower daily cases in the past 7 days. Our current, unpublished data for the week ending February 13, 2021 meets CDPH Tier 2 – Substantial [Red] criteria). We depend on the lag for accuracy and stability (data for the last 7 days are preliminary and will likely change as additional results are received).  When we reach Tier 2, our extrapolated 7-day case rate (again, which lags) could range from 28 to 56 (CDC – moderate - yellow: 10 – 49).   Five days after we enter Tier 2, unopened middle and high schools can resume in-person instruction according to State and local guidance.  We will be issuing updated guidance next week, but updates will not affect planned re-openings.

Marin County schools have led the state and nation in demonstrating, consistent with evidence, that K-12 schools with strict mitigation strategies can safely open for in-person instruction and remain open. This is supported by the CDC’s statement that “schools that are open for in-person instruction may decide to remain open even at high (red) levels of community transmission.” 

Local data, local and state guidance, as well school- and community-specific factors, support TUHSD and MVSD current plans to re-open safely for in-person instruction. We respect individual family decisions, based on their individual circumstances, when their family is ready to return to in-person instruction."

Approximately 30% of MVSD staff have been offered the vaccine. We consider all staff in Mill Valley School district to be essential to operations- this includes classified staff and certificated teachers and staff. We anticipate the remainder of in-person staff will be offered the vaccine by the end of this month and that all in-person staff will be vaccinated by Spring Break, April 5th.

No, they do not. However, the board has directed the district to ensure that all in-person staff are offered the vaccine prior to a full-day, full-classroom in-person model. We anticipate that all staff will have been offered both doses of the vaccine by the first week in April.

EDL will continue to be offered for the remainder of the school year. Families will have an option to commit to in-person or commit to EDL. Families will receive a commitment form to provide this decision.

Yes, families will receive a commitment form to provide this decision. 

There is a possibility of teacher and staffing changes, but we hope to have as much continuity as possible as we move forward. 

We are working on the best model for our students/families who choose to continue with distance learning. These decisions will be finalized and communicated to distance learning families after we collect the responses from the commitment form.

Student desks will be spaced at least 4 feet apart and individual desk barriers are being made available to teachers to provide to students.

Just as we purchased HEPA air purifiers, upgraded our HVAC filters, and procured extensive amounts of PPE at the onset of the pandemic, single desks will be imperative for learning for the long term, at least into next year, and likely for another year thereafter. We will continue to be thoughtful and transparent in our purchases. We have been successful in our procurement planning.

Four feet of distance is permissible via Marin County 30 Point School Guidance and California Department of Public Health. There are a number of private schools, as well as some public schools, that have longer days with distancing at approximately 4 ft. They are included in the Marin County Data and hours can be found here (public and private)

Students will have a scheduled lunch recess. Teachers may continue to utilize outdoor spaces.

Students will be distanced. Lunch schedules may be staggered. We will follow all protocols for safely ensuring lunch may be consumed on campus. Currently, students are using this protocol during nurishment breaks.

We will space students out 6+ feet. Dots and other markings will be used in outdoor spaces.

We will utilize outside space to the greatest extent possible. Just as we do now in the hybrid model, children will go outside during inclement weather as practicable. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.

Some do and some do not. As with the initial March 2020 closure of school, November 30th hybrid re-opening, and the current plan for April 12th or later, the district has determined these timelines and provided many opportunities for staff to share feedback on aspects of the plan, as well as barriers that need to be addressed. 

We are in an emergency situation and change is inevitable. Our responsibility is to ensure the maximum amount of learning for our students. To do this, we continue to assess the situation, including new information such as the vaccine and school transmission data, and continue to evolve our response until we are able to return to normalcy.

No. MVTA leadership has stated they do not support the change. This is consistent with the national, state, and local trend amongst teachers unions. Our goal is to identify the barriers to this change and engage in solutions-based discussions as we did when MVTA was concerned about the return to in-person instruction this past fall. 

Yes, CSEA leadership has agreed to negotiate the impacts on February 22 and 23 and has expressed support for ensuring in-person learning is available. This is consistent with other school districts in our county. We will identify the needs of our classified staff and ensure support to make this transition.

The district determines the instructional program to be implemented (taking stakeholder interests into account) and the union bargains the effects of that decision, specifically in regards to hours, wages, and safety. The district has invited both unions to begin bargaining this process.