In an effort to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of the coronavirus, the call expected by many has been made: Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) students will not be coming back for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.
However, although MUSD sites will remain physically closed for the rest of the school year, that doesn’t mean the learning will end.
“Please be clear that while our campuses are physically closed, school remains in session through distance learning. Our educators continue to develop new, creative ways to deliver lessons, assignments, projects, virtual field trips, and other in-home activities. Our Spring Break will remain for the week of April 13-17 with meal service provided for students,” read the Superintendent’s message on the MUSD website. The same message was also emailed out to families earlier this afternoon, letting them know that online learning would now go to the end of the school year.
While MUSD students were still in school on Friday, March 13, the County Superintendent announced that schools across Santa Clara County would be closed from March 16-April 3, in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, last week, the Santa Clara County Office of Education announced that the closures would be extended ’til May 1.
All of Santa Clara County has been under a shelter-in-place order since March 17; residents have been told to stay home and only leave for essential items, like food and medicine. Just yesterday, Health Officer and Director for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department Dr. Sara Cody announced that the shelter-in-place order would last until May 3.
MUSD’s online learning platform is known as EducatEverywhere, and across all school sites, staff have been engaging students through video conferencing on Google Meet, storytime YouTube videos, and even daily virtual circle time for younger TK students.
For the past two and a half weeks, the district has also distributed over 1,200 Chromebooks to students, and also offered two free meals from Monday through Friday to youth ages 0 to 18.