Category Archives: Benicia Unified School District

BREAKING NEWS – This school closure letter just arrived:

March 13, 2020, 1:40 PM

Dear Benicia Unified Families,

In light of the ever-changing situation with COVID-19, Solano County schools will be closed for 2 weeks beginning Monday, March 16, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020. We will make a determination at that time about any further closures.

We did not take this decision lightly and recognize that this may cause a hardship for some families. Each school district and charter school will continue to communicate directly with families and staff with updates about re-opening, learning alternatives, and the availability of school meals.

School administrators across Solano County appreciate the proactive illness prevention steps that our families and staff have committed to. Illness prevention steps make a significant difference in safeguarding the health of our communities, and we encourage continued attention in this effort.

We will be sending follow-up communication regarding specifics for BUSD school closures.

Sincerely,
Dr. Charles Young
Superintendent
Benicia Unified School District Superintendent

Benicia Unified School District, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Benicia Schools – March 13 9am update on coronavirus

March 13, 2020 Roger Straw

Parents of Benicia students received this letter from Superintendent Charles Young at around 9am on March 13. Note that later on the 13th, another letter announced a 2-week school closure throughout Solano County.

COVID-19 Update 3-13-20

Mar 13, 2020

Dear Benicia Families.

Like all school districts, we are working closely with the health department regarding the effects of the CoronaVirus. Regarding the possibility of school closure, our staff has been working to provide continuous learning opportunities during any planned school closure timeline. All students have access to an online Virtual Learning Platform through Google Classroom.

Your students will be checking today to see if they can log into their Google Classroom and will be bringing home their login information so they can access their classes from home. While we will not be able to mirror the regular classroom experience, staff is working to provide a level of ongoing learning with the goal of keeping students engaged as we navigate potential school closure timelines.

We are asking every family to complete this SHORT SURVEY [link deleted here – intended only for Benicia students’ families] about your child’s ability to access technology devices (i.e. phone, computer, iPads, etc.) and internet at home. Thank you for completing this survey as early as possible so we can plan to address any potential needs.

We know closing schools for any duration can be a burden to families and we want to provide as many services as possible during this time. We are also working on plans to continue providing student meals at selected schools during any closure.

We will keep you updated throughout the day including additional details and information as we continue to develop plans to keep learning going in the event of school closure.

Thank you for your patience and partnership during this challenging time.

Dr. Charles Young
Superintendent

Benicia CA, Benicia Unified School District, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Coronavirus updates from Solano County, City of Benicia and Benicia Unified School District

March 12, 2020 Roger Straw

By Roger Straw

UPDATE: See today’s latest information

UPDATE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Solano County

As of today [March 15], Solano County has 7 confirmed positive cases of the Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID 19). This number is updated daily at 2 pm on the website of the Solano County Department of Public Health.

Of particular interest: Solano County Fact sheet – Guidance for Vulnerable Populations at High Risk

Also: Solano County Press Releases

The City of Benicia

The City of Benicia has also published an online Coronavirus page. Of interest: a March 11 press release from Fire Chief Josh Chadwick. Of interest (excerpt):

…City Hall, Benicia Public Library, Benicia Community Center and Benicia Senior Center remain open and operational with appropriate measures in place to protect the health of staff and the community. In an abundance of caution, the following events are City of Benicia programs which will be postponed or canceled until further notice due to the difficulty in maintaining social distancing:

- - Wednesday, March 11: Family Reading Night for students at Robert Semple and Joe Henderson Elementary Schools
  - Wednesday, March 17: Objective Planning Standards Stakeholder meeting
  - Sunday, March 22: Ramana Vieira and Ensemble at the Library
  - Fridays: Board Game Evenings at the Library
  - Next two weeks: All Storytimes and After School Zone, due to limited space at the Library

The Benicia Unified School District

The BUSD sent the following announcement to parents this afternoon:

March 12, 2020

Dear Families,

Benicia Unified School District (BUSD) continues to monitor the COVID-19 with on-going, regular guidance and communication from Solano County Health Department (SCHD) who works directly with the Center of Disease Control (CDC), the State Department of Health (SDH) and the California Department of Education (CDE). The health and safety of our students and staff continues to be our number one priority. At this time, BUSD has not been notified of any confirmed cases. As schools are deemed an essential service, schools will remain open unless ordered to close by The Solano County Department of Public Health. If the situation changes, BUSD will follow the COVID-19 school protocols established by the SDH in partnership with the agencies listed above regarding any further measures.

The Health Department continues to recommend and we continue to promote the following:

Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available
Cough into a tissue or your elbow
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
Stay home when you are sick
BUSD staff are taking extra measures to deep clean buildings and classrooms each night

In addition, we are implementing social distancing protocols effective through the end of Spring break April 12, 2020, as outlined in new guidelines from SCHD. Therefore we will be:

Postponing all events at our facilities outside of the school day, including outside user groups
Postponing or canceling all field trips, fundraisers, music events, performances, enrichment activities, school assemblies, and club meetings
Having no classroom volunteers on campuses
Having no guest speakers or outside group performances
Having only Diablo Athletic Leagues (DAL) sanctioned supporting events and practices
Having no spectators, including, parents and guardians at sporting events; only those adults needed to manage the event will be allowed at the event

We are working on plans to provide a continuity of learning should the situation change or school(s) need to be closed in the future. As part of our ongoing partnership, we are asking our parents to look ahead and make contingent plans in case things change and we are forced to close schools. If your child has extenuating health circumstances, please contact your health care provider to get additional recommendations.

Please continue to refer to Solano County Public health and the CDC websites for updated information pertaining to the virus. We will continue to provide updates as information is made available to us. Thank you for your patience and your partnership.

Sincerely,