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COVID-19 & Schools - Frequently Asked Questions - Students

Fremont Unified School District:

Student FAQs

FUSD recognizes that there are many perspectives regarding schools being in person versus remote learning given the dynamic conditions of COVID-19. In an effort to help provide information for our students the following resource has been created for your review.

When should a student come back to school if they’ve tested positive for COVID-19?

Students who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate and follow this guidance:

Why hasn’t FUSD gone fully virtual due to the increased spread of COVID-19? Does the FUSD Board of Education have the authority to switch to virtual learning? Is there a certain threshold amount of cases for FUSD to go virtual?

Moving back to online learning has many implications and like most complex decisions it carries consequences, both negative and positive, and both intended and unintended. FUSD  serves roughly 33,500 students ranging from preschool through high school, inclusive of students with mild to moderate special education needs, and we must consider all perspectives. Additionally, while each family's situation is unique, moving back to distance learning carries broad implications that are not universally the same for our diverse community.

State and local health officials continue to advise that our schools should remain open for in-person instruction. At this time, (January 12th) I believe Hayward is the only district that has moved to full remote instruction across both Contra Costa County and Alameda County.

A large-scale closure, connected with closing any and all extracurricular activities for students, might only be effective with a more society-wide closure of operations if the intent is to strictly reduce Omicron. The Governor stated in his press conference today that he does not plan to make such wide-ranging closure a part of our immediate future.

The current state regulations do not permit a school district to directly transition to remote instruction unilaterally. There are provisions that allow ACPH the option to direct the closure of a class, a school, or a district, due to conditions of virus transmission.

Moving to remote instruction due to staffing needs requires many specifics from FUSD as well as consultation with the County Office of Education and the State Superintendent of Schools.

In the event of a school closure due to a severe staffing shortage, J-13A's (waiver provision at the state level)  may be submitted if the following conditions are met: 1) Unable to provide in-person instruction due to staffing shortages as a result of staff quarantine due to COVID-19, 2) Exhausted all options for obtaining staff coverage 3) Consulted with the county office of education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in determining that staffing needs cannot be met through any option, and this must be approved by an affidavit of the Governing Board of FUSD.

I appreciate that some people, including some students, staff, and parents, may prefer we revert to distance learning. I also appreciate that remaining open may be the best-case scenario for some students and that some students, staff, and parents would prefer we remain open. The impact of school site closure, even for the short term, holds very different impacts for 17-year-olds versus 7-year-olds, and within each age group, there are myriad physical health and mental considerations.

Neither the state or local health officials have set forward any “thresholds” for what would constitute a required closure/transition to distance learning.

What extra precautions is FUSD taking to address the increased spread of COVID-19?

FUSD follows health and safety protocols at the district and site level as. These protocols, combined with personal responsibility from each individual, help mitigate the impact of COVID in our schools.

Health and safety provisions in effect for FUSD include:

FUSD will remain responsive to new information, requirements and recommendations to keep our sites as safe as possible. If and when we change any of our protocols, notice will be provided to staff, students, and families.

FUSD will provide notice to each student in a class where a positive case has been in attendance and created a potential student exposure. To the extent practical, FUSD will also notify known close contacts due to outside of class on campus close contacts. FUSD is moving to a more broad notification which is also more timely. While it may create an over notice on occasion, we’d prefer to be over cautious.  For students that tested positive over the break, outside of the school setting and thus did not create an on campus exposure, or an exposure in an extracurricular program, those cases would not be contact traced.

How is the increased spread of COVID-19 affecting school events, sports, and field trips? 

At this time, neither ACPH or CDPH have established further restrictions on extra curricular activities. There are already requirements for testing weekly for many of our extra curricular activities which are more stringent. FUSD will continue to monitor these activities and remain in touch with state and local officials as well as CIF/NCS officials for any changes in the recommendations and protocols. FUSD is working diligently to remain aligned with the guidance and recommendations of public health officials.

How would a school closure impact extracurricular activities? 

Since a school closure for the purpose of conditions related to COVID-19, is most likely a product of our County Health agency, we would need to wait and see what directives are provided for extra curricular activities.

If the closure was strictly due to staffing, there may also be staffing implications that prevent us from being able to operate our extra curricular programs.

While we may not have the full details at this time, I do think any closure of in-person learning could likely have a significant impact on extra curricular activities as well.

If students are currently uncomfortable with in-person learning, can they still join the virtual academies and switch back later? 

Secondary students opting for virtual learning would enroll in Vista and would no longer be a student at their existing high school. Vista students may move to in-person classes on the Vista campus as desired. It is recommended that each person interested connect with their school staff and the staff of Vista for the purpose of reviewing course availability and scheduling.

Space in the Elementary Virtual Academy is limited; parents/guardians can find more information on enrollment here.