Spring 2021 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the issue with contact tracing / quarantining?

The main challenge is the exploding number of cases in Chittenden County combined with how three-foot distancing puts so many more unvaccinated students at risk of contracting the virus.

Why might the new 3 feet social distancing guidance result in more close contacts?
While the guidance has changed from six feet to three feet, the manner in which students are quarantined has not. Thus any student who is within three feet of another student for fifteen minutes or more will need to be absent from school and all activities for seven days and a test. Based on the large number of cases in Chittenden County, it is likely that we would be bringing kids back to school only to send them home. Families who have experienced this quarantining describe the disruption for their child and themselves as quite substantial. So far about 1 in every 16 CVSD students has been quarantined!

What is the impact on daily operations?

The issue with increased cases is both the amount of time it takes to process each case as well as the impact it has on the need for remote learning. While the guidance has changed from six feet to three feet, the determination of who is a close contact and will thus need to quarantine has not. Students who are within six feet of an infected student for 15 minutes (cumulative throughout the day) or in the same space as an infected student for 4 1/2 hours (also cumulative throughout the day) are considered close contacts and must quarantine for 14 days or a negative PCR test after 7 days. We've learned over the last month that even with the six feet social distancing guidance, many, many students end up needing to quarantine. These numbers will increase when the distance we allow between them is reduced. The work of determining these close contacts is left to our administrators, district and school nursing staff, the faculty and staff connected to the students - all in conjunction with the Department of Health. We have had several cases recently that took several days to resolve. Wednesdays provide an opportunity to catch up with this work

Is Covid-19 spreading at school?
Our schools are a reflection of our communities. As community spread ticks up in Chittenden County, we’ve seen a corresponding increase in cases coming into our school buildings. And while our mitigation efforts continue to prove effective at stopping the spread once it enters our buildings, we have seen two cases of what the Department of Health deems an outbreak. By definition, this is three or more cases within the school that could not have been contacted outside of school. Our positive cases have been linked to household transmission with the most common pattern being transmission from an adult to a child living in the same household.

If there is in-school transmission, will we be notified?
In an in-school transmission or an outbreak (three or more cases linked together) is confirmed by the Epidemiology Team, the school is required to notify the families and take appropriate steps suggested by the Department of Health. We also notify the entire school community as a regular practice.

Do all close contacts have to quarantine for the same length of time? It seems some individuals are out for fewer days than others.
The timeline for quarantining has been established by the VT Department of Health based on current research and understanding of the incubation period of the virus and how it spreads. In Vermont, we rely on a team of contact tracers who interview the positive person to establish the individual timeline for each COVID case. Based on that individual’s timeline, the school team works with the Dept. of Health to determine what the necessary quarantine, testing, and remote timelines will be.

Though each case is unique, all individuals identified as close contacts are required to quarantine for seven days from the last day of possible exposure to the person who was infectious (known as day zero). At that point, they must take a PCR Covid test and remain in quarantine until negative results are received. These negative results must be shared with the health office before the individual is allowed back in school. Due to the particulars of a case, the exposure is sometimes not known until days after it occurred. In such cases, there may be different amounts of school days missed.

Is the quarantine requirement consistently applied?
Yes, the quarantine requirement is consistently applied as directed by the VT Department of Health.

What is the school doing to prevent transmission at school?
Our schools continue to be diligent with our protective measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We believe that the following measures are effective in containing transmission at school:

• Mask wearing by all with very few exceptions for individuals for whom mask wearing is contraindicated in the Individualized Education Plan
• Maintaining 3 feet distancing between students and 6 feet distancing between adults
• Washing hands routinely throughout the day
• Availability of hand sanitation stations in all common areas
• Sending symptomatic students home as soon as symptoms present themselves
• Maintenance of student groupings and seating charts to minimize contacts
• Closing the buildings to the public

Why can we use our judgment to determine whether or not we can bring students back, but cannot use our judgment to require those who travel to quarantine?
The social distancing guidance is a recommendation. Schools are asked to consider local conditions and circumstances as well as the social distance criteria. Quarantining requirements are handed down by the VT Department of Health and the Agency of Education. Here is the response we received when we asked about our ability to require families who have traveled out of state to quarantine while they awaited a negative COVID test result:

Can schools decide to require quarantining after travel for students/staff even though Vermont Forward has removed this?

From Secretary French: No they cannot. They are to follow Vermont Forward and state guidance. School districts do not have the authority to arbitrarily deny students access to in-person instruction.

What is the Vermont Forward guidance relative to travel out of state?

Families who travel out of state are required to get a COVID test three days after return to Vermont. Students may return to school while they are awaiting their test results. If a student is symptomatic, they should self-quarantine.

What is the guidance relative to travel out of the country?

Families who travel out of the country are required to quarantine for fourteen days or seven days with a negative test result.

What activities occur on Wednesday remote days?

• Synchronous Learning
• Asynchronous Learning
• Office hours with students
• Parent meetings
• EST and 504 meetings
• Assessments
• Teacher Planning
• Cross-disciplinary, team teacher planning
• Staff professional learning
• Staff meetings
• Reopening/ Recovery/ Summer Planning

Why isn’t CVU going to four days per week instruction?
From Principal Bunting:

Right now, the main concern is losing more instructional days than we would gain if we made a full return. While the CDC guidance on social distancing has changed from six feet to three feet, the manner in which students are quarantined has not. Thus any student who is within six feet of another student for fifteen minutes or more will need to be absent from school and all activities for seven days and a test. One positive case would result in a minimum of twenty-one other students missing up to five days of instruction. Based on the increase of cases in Chittenden County, it is likely that we would be bringing kids back to school only to send them home. Families who have experienced this quarantining describe the disruption for their child and themselves as quite substantial. So far about one in every sixteen CVSD students has been quarantined!

Is CVU doing anything to add in-person time for high school students?
CVU is looking for ways in which to increase in-person time as the school year progresses. Starting after April break they will allow any student who wishes to come in for academic support to do so. Additionally, they will have ninth graders in for three of the six remaining Wednesdays for the remainder of the year. They are planning a traditional senior week to get seniors back in school before the close of the year. Finally, CVU will offer many free summer opportunities to all students; those opportunities will include courses, camps, and social experiences.

What is the plan/ intention for the fall?
We are planning a full reopening in as near-normal as possible. We imagine that we will still be wearing masks, but expect that the school schedule, routines, and practices will be back to pre-COVID operations. We are planning for, and looking forward to this eventuality.

Honoring CVSD's UVM Outstanding Educators

 Last week marked the celebration of UVM Outstanding Teachers. The recognition ceremony was different this year and was virtual. We are proud to share that Charlie MacFadyen (CVU) and  Jessica West (SCS) are this year's CVSD honorees. 

"Every year, the College of Education and Social Services (CESS) at the University of Vermont, together with Vermont supervisory unions and school districts, the Vermont Agency of Education, and the Vermont NEA, join to honor the accomplishments of our state’s outstanding educators."
(from the Outstanding Teacher's Day website)

Charlie MacFadyen, Digital Learning Leader
Congratulations to Charlie MacFadyen who was honored by UVM last week as CVU’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year. In the words of Charlie’s colleagues: Everyone needs a Charlie in their community! He is extremely kind and compassionate, and has a genuine desire to make technology accessible to all. Charlie’s amazing sense of humor and seemingly zero need for personal recognition make collaboration easy. His depth of knowledge and continuous learning help us develop manageable and thoughtful solutions - Charlie facilitated our school’s move to a 100% technology-based educational system virtually overnight at the onset of the COVID pandemic. Even when he has no time, Charlie will make time for anyone. Charlie has been a part of the CVU community since 1999 and we feel fortunate to call him a colleague and friend.    (submitted by Adam Bunting, principal, Champlain Valley Union High School)

Jessica West, First Grade Educator
I am incredibly proud to announce Mrs. Jessica West as our UVM Teacher of the Year. Jessica is heading into her 16th year teaching at Shelburne Community School in CVSD. Jessica sees change as opportunities and handles them grace and positivity. She is a phenomenal teacher, learner, leader, colleague, and person. We are so proud of you and your dedication to education.

Jessica is an outstandingly effective teacher. She builds strong relationships with her students and their families. She genuinely cares about each individual student and highlights how they contribute to our positive learning community - where all students are valued, respected, and feel a sense of belonging. Jessica engages all learners by incorporating their interests in her lesson planning and she provides appropriate scaffolding and challenges for each child. Students feel her love and support as she is their number one cheerleader. Jessica is a life-long learner and a passionate teacher leader - she is positive, reflective, empathetic, and an active participant in our learning community.     (submitted by Alison Celmer, PreK-4 principal, Shelburne Community School)

We truly appreciate all that Charlie and Jessica bring to their work on behalf of students, their supportive and valuable connections with colleagues, and their lasting contributions to CVSD.

Mr. Rene Sanchez Hired as the Champlain Valley School District Superintendent.

 

The CVSD Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that Mr. Rene Sanchez has accepted our offer to become the next superintendent of the Champlain Valley School District. “This is an amazing time for our district,” said Board Chair Angela Arsenault. “We’ve been expertly led by Superintendent Elaine Pinckney for the past 15 years, and we’re poised to benefit from both the deep respect Mr. Sanchez has expressed for CVSD, as well as the fresh perspective he’ll bring to our schools and systems.” Mr. Sanchez will begin on July 1, 2021.

“As a lifelong learner, I‘m excited to become the educational leader for Vermont’s largest district and to work with families and communities and businesses to make sure we’re in a place where we can help all students achieve,” Mr. Sanchez said upon his acceptance.

Rene comes to the district from South Bend, Indiana, where he is the Assistant Superintendent for Operations. In this role, he directs the human resources and transportation departments for a district with more than 16,000 students and a total budget of over 173 million dollars. “My focus was providing training for new teachers in equity, literacy, and Universal Design for Learning,” he said. Rene also led the district’s successful cross-functional COVID-19 response team. “Inspiring innovation and empowering our district’s potential was the goal in Indiana.”

Rene has a proven commitment to equity. One example is the creative solution he spearheaded to address the digital divide. Even before the pandemic, Rene led an effort to equip a group of school buses with Wi-Fi for students facing long commutes or late-night rides following sports and other extracurricular activities to complete schoolwork during their trip. This positioned the district to quickly respond to the connectivity challenges of remote learning during the past year. All district buses (over 200 in total) became roving Wi-Fi providers, traveling to students in need to deliver both internet service and food. These communication hubs remain parked in designated neighborhoods throughout the school day.

Before his tenure in South Bend, Rene was principal of Houston’s César E. Chávez High School. To expand educational and career opportunities for students, the school partnered with community organizations and local businesses, including the Houston Ballet, NASA, the Texas Medical Center, and Hobby International Airport. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recognized Rene’s work to close the academic gap with affluent schools in the region. Chávez became the only high school to earn Houston Independent School District’s highest Award for Family and Community Engagement for four consecutive years.

We asked Mr. Sanchez what drew him to the Champlain Valley School District. “I’m intrigued by board and district initiatives supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. I’m excited about CVSD’s focus on personalized learning, proficiency-based learning, multi-tiered systems of support, and social-emotional learning. Knowing that we’re looking after every student and meeting them where they are is an educational philosophy that I share,” he said. “I welcome the opportunity to help the five towns grow together post-consolidation and become a stronger unified district.”

“My strength is designing from the beginning so that we reach all students – even those in the margins. My style complements CVSD’s existing approach ensuring that all students can successfully transition from elementary to middle school to high school and then on to college or career or whatever their pursuit of happiness is.”

Rene earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame, his law degree at Ohio State, and his Masters of Educational Administration at the University of Texas. He is currently pursuing his doctorate at Indiana State University, with an expected completion date in 2023.

On a personal note, Rene’s wife, Jean, is originally from Vermont and a UVM graduate. They have three children and three dogs. Rene loves to cycle, cook, read, fish, golf, and work in the garden. “We’re happy that our children are going to grow up in Jean’s home state. We are thrilled to be closer to family and many of Jean’s college friends, who still live in the area.”

Please join us in welcoming Rene and his family to the Champlain Valley School District, and stay tuned for further information and updates as this exciting new hire unfolds.

Wishing you good health. Enjoy your April break.

~ The Champlain Valley School District Board of Directors

CVSD Update April 14, 2021

In this newsletter, Superintendent Elaine Pinckney shares plans for the remainder of the year, there are some graphs that illustrate recent upticks in COVID cases, you'll learn about updates to travel and quarantining, and we feature student voices from CVU's Social Justice Alliance.

Thank you for taking the time to read it all the way through. As always, share your questions via email cvsdinformation@cvsdvt.org or use this form.

Thank you!

Introducing CVSD's Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Liliana Rodriguez as Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the Champlain Valley School District. Dr. Rodriguez will begin her leadership duties on July 1, 2021. Rodriguez’s role will be to work as a part of the CVSD leadership team to lead and direct the district’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work.

Dr. Rodriguez brings a wealth of experience to CVSD. She received her B.A. with honors in psychology from Williams College and her M.S. in clinical psychology and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has been a lecturer at Williams College. Liliana (Lili) previously served as an educational consultant, as well as a mental health and substance abuse counselor, for Hampshire College and Berkshire County, Mass., before returning to Williams in 2006 to serve as Director of Diversity Recruitment. She went on to be the Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Development at Swarthmore College. Her most recent experience is that of Vice Chancellor of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence at the University of Denver.

She has spent the last 20 years providing DEI training to students, staff, and faculty at the institutions she has served, as well as to non-profit leaders, K-12 educators, and several executive boards from a variety of organizations. She believes that we cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach to this work any longer. As she stated in her letter expressing interest in the position, “Individuals need to be met where they are and compassionately walked toward greater understanding. The field has changed radically and the challenges faced are complex but achievable with a firm commitment and innovative ideas. I think I can draw on my work in higher education to be a valuable resource in K-12 education. I genuinely want to help.”

CVSD School Board Chair Angela Arsenault, a member of the search committee, was impressed with Dr. Rodriquez’s experience in the field. “Liliana has dedicated her career to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational settings. She holds a deep understanding of the personal nature of the work, a true belief in the value of student voice, and a desire to create measurable goals to effect real change where it's needed. I'm excited to learn from her and to do all we can as a board and a community to embrace the incredible expertise and wisdom Liliana brings to our district.”

Fabienne Boisvert-DeFazio, a community member from Shelburne who served on the search committee added, "I was happy to be part of a fair and impartial interview process of numerous highly qualified candidates. Our lengthy and thorough work resulted in the selection of Liliana Rodriguez, who I believe will bring lived experience, expertise, and mindfulness to the DEI Director position at CVSD. As a community member, I would like to thank the Superintendent and the School Board for following through and filling this vital position."

Dr. Rodriguez impressed the committee with her deep knowledge of equity issues, her successes in identifying and driving real change in educational institutions, her examples of connecting with students, and her demonstrated strength in communication. She says that she is excited to join CVSD and is excited to get started. We are just as excited to begin our work with her and learn with her. 

CVU's Social Justice Alliance

We are honored to share another guest post. This one comes to us from students at CVU who are members of the Social Justice Alliance. We hope that viewers of this blog not only read this post, but take the time to visit the SJA website. The work and progress made by students in a short time, and the work underway now and for the future, is remarkable. 

Thank you to SJA members Eva Frazier and Hazel Civalier for their contributions to this post and especially to Carolina Sicotte, who composed most of it and was instrumental in getting this post published. Carolina serves on the Policy, Inservice/Education, and Media Awareness committees.

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Last February, representatives from the Racial Alliance Committee (RAC), Awareness, Change, and Training group (ACT)), Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), and the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) convened in the Fairbanks house office to discuss the environment regarding social justice issues at CVU. After only minutes of dialogue back and forth, there was no doubt that each group had done excellent work. For instance, the Racial Alliance Committee partnering with businesses and speaking at statewide conferences and Bring Change to Mind creating workshops and presenting to faculty. Yet, it was unanimously agreed upon that something was missing: interconnectedness. The individual clubs had been operating in near isolation for years, attempting to make traction for their issue alone by meeting with administrators, planning school events, and encouraging faculty to incorporate their ideas into curricula. Consequently, although remarkable work had been done, it felt as though there was a constant struggle for attention- of the administration, of the students, and of the community at large, and that until the issue could be resolved, true momentum would be nearly unattainable. The representatives decided to meet again, and as the snow melted and winter turned into spring, the Social Justice Alliance was effectively born. 

With goals of promoting substantial change, SJA became a space for members of 5 CVU clubs- RAC, EnACT, ACT, BC2M, and GSA to dedicate themselves to themes of intersectionality, collaboration, and collective action across several disciplines, while creating a platform for clubs with common goals surrounding social justice to work together.

“CVU’s Social Justice Alliance aims to cultivate a community in which each student’s right to equality is guaranteed, a holistically supportive learning environment is maintained, education on human rights issues is abundant, systemic change is implemented to uplift marginalized groups, and all students’ voices are heard and valued.”

The creation of the Social Justice Alliance opened the floodgates for action. Since its founding, members have wasted no time. With its five subgroups, it has been able to tackle social justice issues in a holistic manner:

Outreach: The outreach committee is truly the glue of SJA. Handling recruitment, member support, organization, and communication + engagement with the community, the outreach committee is responsible for our monthly student forums that cover topics such as eating disorder awareness and the current climate policy under the Biden administration. Furthermore, they have spearheaded presentations to 10th grade humanities classes and Student Council about SJA and have revamped our club’s structure to ensure smooth flow of our work and maintain an intersectional lens in SJA.

Inservice/Education: The inservice/education group began with an incredibly involved undertaking: providing the faculty and staff with presentations ranging from 20 minutes to up until 3 hours, in which topics such as handling microaggressions in classrooms and facilitation productive dialogue were discussed at length, a process that, since August, has continued with current engagement with faculty in the forms of curriculum KUD feedback and advocacy for a social justice credit requirement for CVU students.

Media Awareness: The media awareness committee has tackled several projects, including the launch of our website, podcast series, social media pages, and weekly newsletter. In addition to these ongoing projects, the group has also initiated the process of creating a social justice mural to brighten the walls of CVU.

Reporting/Culture: The reporting/culture subgroup works to increase student awareness of reporting opportunities and is also advocating for a healthier CVU culture to promote safety and inclusivity for all students. Currently, they are rolling out a new reporting campaign to increase visibility, creating educational awareness in sending schools on online sexual violence, and making changes surrounding many school events that have caused harm to numerous students over the years, such as rally in the valley.

Policy: The policy committee has met with administrators countless times, collaborating on issues ranging from reforming and distributing the Bullying, Harassment, and Hazing policy to reviewing the current model procedures and codes in the student handbook and the ways the student body accesses them and even creating an online incident reporting form for students to use at any time.

Speaking of SJA’s website, it is truly an outstanding resource for the community. To summarize, it contains the following resources:

SJA Information and Resources:

• Ways to join, contact, and stay connected with SJA
• Our mission, goals, and accomplishments
• Links to the Student Reporting Form, BHH Handout, and official BHH policy
• Resources we’ve created, such as...
• A recorded version of our August faculty & staff presentation
• Self education documents and further information on intersectionality
• Answered frequently asked questions + guides for educators

Member Club Information and Resources:

• Individual club projects, goals, and unique aspects
• Meeting times, club links, and contact information
• Specialized resources, statistics, and concepts relating to the issue

Updates:

• Blogs for the member clubs and SJA as a whole
• The Round Table (SJA) podcast episodes
• Question and answer form
• Newsletter subscription

In order to achieve its goals, the Social Justice Alliance welcomes community members to join them in their work by volunteering time in getting directly involved with the organization, proposing suggestions for future endeavors, or partnering on projects of interest to social justice issues.

The alliance thanks the students, faculty, staff, and administrators at Champlain Valley Union High School for supporting them in their efforts to create a safe, supportive environment for all at and around CVU. True student rights, equality, and education require consistent effort from all parties in a culture, and the Social Justice Alliance enthusiastically invites the CVSD community to make any contribution, big or small, to their efforts.

For contact and further inquiries, email: crsmith@cvsdvt.org

Sharing With Those In Need

We are happy to share this guest post from Rachel Stein, a math and literacy interventionist at Charlotte Central School. She is leading a tremendous effort to donate leftover food to those in need. Thank you, Rachel, and CCS!

A note from Scott Wagner, one of CVSD's food service directors: 

The regulations around the free school meals being served this year require that each child receives a complete meal that includes a variety of components including fruits, grains, vegetables, protein, and milk. Students are encouraged to consume the healthy choices prepared for them, or bring them home to eat later, but some students may not choose to do so. Due to safety and sanitation concerns, our kitchens are not allowed to reclaim or reuse even unopened, packaged items.