Dear Families and Staff,

The Governing Board held a special board meeting last night, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, to further discuss the plans for returning to in-person hybrid learning.  After careful consideration and discussion, the Board Trustees voted to return TK-2 students for in-person hybrid instruction on Monday, March 29, 2021.  Students in grades 3-12 will return for in-person hybrid classes on Monday, April 12, 2021, the Monday following spring break.  

The reasoning that is reflected in the Board action to adjust the previously approved return target date of March 22, which results in 9 instructional days, centers on a recognition of staff completing the vaccination process. Having a vaccinated workforce in this pandemic contributes significantly to their overall confidence level regarding Covid-19 thereby allowing them to more fully focus their energy and efforts on our students.   Additionally, the Board action reflects the benefit in bringing our youngest students back to campus a week before the rest of the students in order to give them an opportunity to adjust to the return to in person learning.

We are excited to welcome our staff and students back onto our campuses.  We will also be continuing to provide robust virtual learning for those students who have chosen that option.

Please look for more detailed information about your child’s return to in-person hybrid instruction from your site principal very soon. 

On we go!
Charles Young, Ed.D.

Dear Benicia Staff and Community.  

I have good news to share.  During the course of this week, the availability of Covid-19 vaccine supply increased dramatically for Solano County and most importantly, Benicia Unified School District.  In fact, all staff members were provided an opportunity to be vaccinated if they have not already done so on their own.  

This new development, which happened much quicker than we had anticipated, provides BUSD with the opportunity to have a much more confident workforce regarding their safety and well-being as they return to in-person learning.  In addition to the robust safety measures we have in place, this increase in the vaccination process will go a long way in helping staff, students and our parent community feel more at ease returning to in-person learning.  

I want to emphasize that having a confident workforce is central to our efforts as it allows staff to focus their energy on our students and everything in our system that supports that goal.  

That being said, the Board Trustees have requested a special Board meeting for this Wednesday, March 10, 2021 to discuss and clarify the impact this dramatic increase in vaccination availability has on the previously approved target return date of March 22nd.  I will communicate next steps Thursday, directly following the Board meeting. 

This week made me feel we are finally beginning to move back to a more normal life for all of us. 

Stay tuned!

On we go!
Charles Young, Ed.D.

Dear Staff and Community.

Good afternoon, everyone.   As we continue to focus on vaccine availability and clinics, I am providing the following information.  

There was a vaccine clinic today at the Solano County Office of Education.  As I noted in my last communication, school districts that have been providing in-person instruction prior to February 15th are being prioritized and will be for the next clinic that is tentatively scheduled for the second week of March.  As of 1:00 p.m. today, approximately 1,800 out of 8,500 Solano County educators were vaccinated.  

The next level of prioritization is for school districts who have not yet provided in-person instruction.  Fortunately, we learned yesterday that Governor Newsom is setting aside  10% of vaccine availability for education employees.  This will be in addition to what counties are already receiving.  

As a reminder, the Solano County Office of Education is responsible, not individual school districts, for working directly with the Solano County Health Department in the organization of vaccination clinics.  The following links provide more information on the Governors’ newest vaccine availability plan.  

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/02/25/working-to-get-kids-back-to-school-state-outlines-equity-centered-plan-to-accelerate-access-to-covid-vaccines-for-education-workers/

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/K-12_Vaccines_Overview.pdf

Additional Vaccination Clinic Information From Solano County Public Health: 

Through our partnership with Kaiser Permanente, NorthBay Healthcare, Medic Ambulance, Touro University, Solano County Fairgrounds and Vacaville Fire Department, two vaccine clinics are now available for Solano County residents aged 75+, 65-74 with underlying health conditions, healthcare workers, first responders, and tier groups that are currently eligible to get vaccinated (see vaccine rollout by phase and tier for more information).

The vaccine is available for eligible individuals, regardless of health care provider or insurance coverage. Individuals will automatically register for the second dose at the same time of their scheduled appointment for the first dose (four weeks after the first appointment). They will be receiving the Moderna vaccine.

TOMORROW, February 27, 2021
Solano County Fairgrounds Expo Hall
900 Fairgrounds Dr, Vallejo, CA
Register through www.bit.ly/sccovax0227

MONDAY, March 1, 2021
Markham Elementary School
101 Markham Ave, Vacaville, CA
Register through www.bit.ly/sccovax0301

Information about both clinics has been added to our Solano Public Health Facebook page,

Covid-19 Safety Plan:  Our Covid-19 Safety Plan is posted on our District website and has been submitted to the Solano County Office of Education and Solano County Health Department.   

On we go!
Charles Young, Ed.D.

Dear Staff and Community, 

I hope you are doing well this Friday afternoon and are looking forward to a weekend of some rest and rejuvenation.  I know we all want our entire society to return to normal, and fortunately, there is some good news on the COVID-19 front as case rates continue to decline at a steady rate.  Click on the link to see the state-wide data:  https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/

Vaccine for Schools Update:  The Solano County Office of Education is working with the Solano County Health Department to organize COVID-19 vaccine clinics.  There is a planned vaccination clinic on February 26th, pending any issues with vaccine supply due to severe weather conditions in parts of the country, and is prioritized for education employees whose school districts have been providing some level of in-person instruction prior to February 15.  

The next level of prioritization, this is where BUSD falls, is for school districts that have an established return to in-person instruction date (the Board Trustees approved the desire to return to in-person hybrid instruction on March 22nd, state rules permitting), a safety plan (we are finalizing and submitting for approval this coming week), and the number of employees (that will be anonymous for confidentiality purposes), who will request the vaccine, of which we will be compiling and sending to the County Office.  

I will continue to keep you updated regarding this process.  Again, the main issue for our County, according to the Solano County Health Director, Dr. Matyas, is vaccine supply.  

In-Person Instruction:  The Board Trustees approved small-group, in-person instruction during last night’s Board meeting.  This service will be provided by staff who have volunteered to provide in-person support to students.  Your school sites are working with those teachers who volunteered.  If your child is currently receiving support services (i.e. specialized instruction or intervention), and your child’s teacher has not volunteered to do in-person small groups, their virtual services will continue.  

The Leavening Effect of Equity and Opportunity:  We continue to be excited about this work as we all come together to build community in ways that are inclusive, respectful and hopeful.  The superordinate goal is to meet the needs of all our students while identifying and removing barriers for any student groups who are not reaching their potential.  

We are currently working on solidifying additional professional learning opportunities for staff centered on culturally responsive practices, diversity, and equity.  Our curriculum department is preparing to begin curriculum audits where we evaluate our materials through the lens of equity.  

Finally, we are working on drafting a broad equity goal for our Strategic Plan-LCAP that will serve as the guidepost for actions and services focused on removing barriers and providing opportunities.  

I want to close by extending my deepest gratitude to all BUSD staff for their ongoing commitment and tremendous effort they put in each and every day on behalf of our students.   

On we go!
Charles Young

Dear Community and Staff.  

As we head into the four-day weekend, Monday being President’s Day and an opportunity to pause and reflect on the long lineage of presidents in our great country, I wanted to provide a quick update on matters related to in-person learning.    

In-person Learning Review:  During the January 14 Board meeting, the Trustees voted to remain in distance learning through March 19, 2021, with the desire to return to in-person instruction, implementing the approved hybrid learning plan, on March 22, 2021, which is the first day of the 4th quarter, State rules permitting.  

The good news is recent COVID-19 case rate data is showing positive signs of trending in the right direction in the three primary categories:  New COVID-19 positivity rates per day per 100k, positivity rate (7 day average) and ICU availability. 

Please use the following link for detailed COVID-19 data.  Hover your cursor over Solano County for our data. https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/)   

As a follow-up to the February 4th Board meeting, the Trustees asked that we explore options related to small group, in-person instruction before the implementation date of the larger hybrid plan mentioned above.  We will be discussing this item at the upcoming Board meeting on Thursday, February 18th. 

Safety Plans:  Since the January 14th Board meeting, the State established a new requirement called the COVID-19 Safety Plan, which consists of a COVID-19 Prevention Program and COVID-19 Guidance Checklist.  Districts are required to submit this plan to the County Health Director for approval before heading back to K-6 grades in-person hybrid learning.  Fortunately, we worked very closely with our two unions earlier in the year and passed two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s), which outline, in considerable detail, the required safety elements for in-person instruction.  

Most, if not all, of the safety requirements are included in the MOU’s and we were able to transfer them to the COVID-19 Prevention Program which is nearing completion for submission.  Please find the COVID-19 Prevention Program linked here.  If you have any feedback or comments, please email them to Dr. Gill, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources:  kgill@beniciaunified.org.  

Vaccine:  Although the COVID-19 vaccination is not required for in-person learning, the enhanced protection and sense of safety it provides, is obvious.  The main challenge, as per Dr. Matyas, the Solano County Health Director, and who presented at the last Board meeting of February 4th (recording), centers on the demand for the vaccine being greater than the supply.  We are continuing to work closely with Dr. Matyas regarding a specific date and plan for the availability and distribution of the vaccine in BUSD. 

The following link will take you to the Solano County Health Department’s COVID-19 Vaccination plan.  This is a VERY useful website and provides all related information related to the vaccine and its distribution, including the following COVID-19 interest from sent to all staff last week.  https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/ph/coronavirus_links/covid_19_vaccines.asp

Governor’s Safe Schools for All Plan:  In my last newsletter, I referenced the Governor’s plan and that it was still being negotiated in the legislature.  As of today, we do not have any clear updates regarding this plan and whether or not it will be passed.  I will provide more information as it is made available to us. 

LCAP/Strategic Plan Survey:  We are beginning the process of collecting information on key goals and initiatives for our LCAP/Strategic plan.  This document plays a central role in providing clear direction for key initiatives and goals for our district.  Your input is vital to this process.  Please watch for an additional email with a link to the survey.

Thank you!
Charles Young