Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Roger Rice announced at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 23, that all grade levels in the Ventura Unified School District (City of Ventura) will be going back to school full-time, in- person when they open for the 2021-22 school year in August.
“I am thrilled to announce that due to recent changes in social distancing guidelines from the CDC and our state and local health departments, in addition to other strategies we are currently implementing, we will open full-time, in-person with a schedule similar to pre-Covid at all of our school sites in the Fall of 2021,” stated Dr. Rice, Superintendent.
The school district is currently purchasing furniture for many of its schools to replace outdated and bulky desks, chairs, etc., to utilize space in the classrooms fully. Funding for this furniture and other necessities to maximize the number of students who can fit into each classroom comes from a one-time State In-Person Learning Grant.
The school district assumes that other COVID-19 prevention and mitigation protocols will remain in place for the Fall 2021 semester, including masks, hand washing, disinfecting, contact tracing, and more. “Our elementary schools have been open to hybrid in-person learning for some time now, and VCPH confirmed this week that we have had no student COVID transmission spread on our campuses. Our students, teachers, and staff are doing a tremendous job of following the guidelines. We believe that our community can wear masks and follow the guidelines if it means we can resume full-time in-person learning,” stated Dr. Rice. “The District will be providing families with more concrete information and schedules as soon as the details are finalized.”
For those families who are not ready to return fully, options will be provided regarding distance learning and homeschooling. The District will be sharing those options closer to the Fall 2021 semester. COVID-driven change is always possible, and the community will be notified if changes must be made.
Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is occurring now at the Ventura Unified School District; for those interested in enrolling, visit www.venturausd.org for more information.
