Even with all of the changes made by the state’s new “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” students will be back in the classroom at least by September 23, Supt. Anne Silavs said in a letter to parents this week.
She says the new ‘Blueprint’ system replaces the state’s former COVID-19 Monitoring List.
There are four tiers in the new system: purple, red, orange, and yellow. The purple tier is the most restrictive and the yellow tier is the least restrictive.
The new blueprint includes a weekly assessment every Tuesday of COVID-19 case and positivity rates to determine each county’s tier assignment.
“Despite having been removed from the state’s former COVID-19 Monitoring List, Orange County has been assigned to the purple tier as part of this new system,” she informs the parents.
“However, if Orange County’s COVID-19 case and positivity rates continue to decline, it is likely the county will be reclassified to the less restrictive red tier on September 8. In accordance with the new blueprint, Orange County will need to wait 14 days in its new red tier assignment before schools may reopen for in-person instruction,” said Silavs.
Given that timeline, the Cypress School District superintendent says students would return to classrooms on Wednesday, September 23 for those parents who have chosen either the Regular or Hybrid school schedule.
Silavs also noted in the letter that the Cypress School District Board of Trustees authorized the submission of an application for a state waiver which, if granted, would enable the district to reopen for in-person instruction prior to September 23.
“We are currently working through the waiver application process and will keep families updated regarding its outcome,” she said.
Silavs thanked the parents for their “continued patience and understanding” as the state continually makes reopening decisions.
Those decisions “are beyond our local control,” she noted.
