Dear CLCS Families,

On February 28, 2022, the state announced that beginning March 12, it would move from mandatory mask policy in K-12 schools to a strongly recommended policy. During this period, we have taken a conservative approach following the announcement and chose to keep masking requirements in place for an additional few weeks to carefully consider our next steps.

On March 24th, under careful consideration, the CLCS Board aligned with the state’s recommendation that masking indoors is not required but strongly recommended beginning March 31st. This decision is supported by the high vaccination rates and drastic decline in the number of cases. We have successfully navigated through the pandemic following recommendations by Alameda County Public Health Department. As we have done throughout the pandemic, CLCS will continue to discuss and implement the latest guidance from the Alameda County Public Health Department related to masking.

All other successful protocols listed below will remain in place.

• Offering free COVID surveillance testing for learners and staff through National Labs and KindlyTest.

• Following contact notifications and tracing protocols.
• Promoting vaccination- for locations please visit Vaccine Guidance and Resources in Alameda County
• Reminding learners and staff to stay home and test when experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

We acknowledge that the County lifting the mask requirement may cause anxiety for some people, especially those who are at higher risk for COVID or live with someone who is at higher risk. We will continue to strongly recommend wearing masks indoors, and make them available at our school site, as masks work to protect the individual wearing them. We will require that masks be worn indoors during large group indoor gatherings including but not limited to assemblies.

With this change, we have asked our team to hold important inclusion discussions on individual choice. We also ask that parents/guardians discuss with learners their family’s expectations for mask wearing at school. For more information on COVID changes for family discussions please review Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19. We ask for your partnership in reminding learners to respect the choices of others, even when they differ from their own.

We appreciate your patience during this time. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Regards,

Islam Ayyad

Covid Program Manager