Update for TUSD Families - November 12

Dear TUSD Families,

We want to share additional updates with you as we continue to address the impacts of the Tustin Hangar incident on our district and community.  As shared last night, we have developed a plan for reopening in collaboration with the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), the City of Tustin, and Envirocheck, our certified asbestos consulting firm.  This plan is fluid and all updates will be made in consultation with environmental experts and partners.

As shared in our message sent November 11, our campuses were color-categorized in order to determine a starting point for our certified asbestos consulting firm, Envirocheck, to begin testing on campuses.  We will now identify campuses as either cleared or pending clearance.  We have included a school status page on our website that will continue to be updated as Envirocheck clears schools for a return to on-campus instruction.

We are pleased to report that Envirocheck has cleared several TUSD campuses.  All campuses that have been cleared by Envirocheck will undergo a general cleaning prior to the return to on-campus instruction.  Schools that are pending clearance by Envirocheck will begin instruction on Tuesday as detailed below.  Please know that we anticipate updates regarding school status throughout the evening and into tomorrow morning and will communicate any changes.

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Monday, November 13 Non-student Day
Monday, November 13 is a non-student day for all TUSD students and no students will be on campus. 

Tuesday, November 14 Instructional Plan for Cleared Schools
Beginning Tuesday, November 14, all cleared schools will resume on campus instruction. 

Campuses cleared include:

Benson Elementary School
Foothill High School
Guin Foss Elementary School
Hewes Middle School
Loma Vista Elementary School
Myford Elementary School
Red Hill Elementary School

Tuesday, November 14 Instructional Plan for Schools Pending Clearance
Beginning Tuesday, November 14, schools pending clearance will provide virtual learning for grades 3-12. Students in grades TK-2 will work independently at home on a learning packet. Details regarding the distribution of learning packets will be communicated with families by Tuesday morning from your school principal. Teachers from campuses awaiting clearance will be available to respond to parent questions during the hours of 8AM-2:30PM via email. 

Students in grades 3-5 from schools pending clearance, will participate in daily virtual learning from 8:30-10:30AM, with additional independent work assigned.  Teachers will be sending a Google Meet link via ParentSquare on Monday, November 13.  Teachers will also be available for office hours to support students from 1-2:30PM.  

Students in grades 6-12 from schools pending clearance will follow their school’s minimum day bell schedule. Please see your school’s website for minimum-day schedules. Virtual meeting links for each class will be posted in a student’s Aeries class schedule. 

FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
Our Food Services team continues to make arrangements for food distribution locations for our district.  We will share detailed information as soon as this is available.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES
Please know that we anticipate updates regarding school status throughout the evening and into tomorrow morning.  We will update our school status page daily.  In addition, we continue to be in communication with the Tustin Hangar Incident Management Team multiple times each day. Their updates and important information for the community are available on the North Hangar Fire Resources page.  All TUSD communications continue to be available on the Tustin Hangar Fire page on our website, which includes important links for our families and community.

We appreciate the continued patience and support of our parents and community as we work through this situation.  We are also grateful for our continued partnership with OCHCA, South Coast AQMD, the City of Tustin and Orange County Fire Authority.

Sincerely, 
Mark Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent