District Updates

On February 28, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state of California will no longer require school districts to have a mask mandate in place after March 11, 2022.

As a result, the Beaumont Unified School District shifted to a mask-recommended policy in our school buildings. While students, staff, and visitors will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors, we will strongly encourage them to do so.  

We ask that we all respect one another’s decisions when it comes to masking. We will maintain safe and positive learning environments in which everyone should feel comfortable wearing a mask if they choose to do so. 

We will also continue with other mitigation strategies that have worked well for us, including:

• Group contact tracing and notifications for confirmed positive cases
• Offer masks
• Take-home antigen tests for students and staff
• Maximized airflow and ventilation in our buildings
• Handwashing and sanitization stations
• Ensuring students and staff stay home if they are feeling ill

Finally, we want to thank our students, staff, and families for all your efforts to protect one another and keep our schools open throughout this pandemic. By following our health and safety protocols, you have allowed us to navigate so many challenges with a great deal of success. We remain grateful for all you have done and continue to do.

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school office.

Returning to School from the Holiday Break

As we approach our return to school on Monday, January 10, 2022, we know the rise in COVID-19 cases during the holidays and the Omicron variant is on people’s minds. We want to assure you that we are prepared to safely welcome our students back to school. We will continue to follow all of our safety protocols and diligently monitor the spread of COVID-19.

We would like to provide you with some important information to help ensure a safe return for all and continue our ultimate goal of keeping our schools open. For this, we need everyone’s cooperation.

Home Screening is Critically Important: 
We need our students/parents to home health screen for symptoms every day

• Fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher) or chills
• Cough
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste or smell that started in the last 10 days (Children may say that food “tastes bad” or “tastes funny”)
• Feeling out of breath or having a hard time breathing
• Diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches or body aches

Wearing Masks

• K-12 students and staff are required to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. 
• Masks are optional outdoors for all in K-12 settings. 
• Persons exempted from wearing a face-covering due to a medical condition must wear a non-restrictive alternative, such as a face shield with a drape on the bottom edge, as long as their condition permits it.

 

How do the symptoms differ between the Delta variant and the Omicron variant?

• Unlike the Delta variant, many patients with Omicron are not losing their taste or smell. Omicron patients describe a bit of a scratchy, sore throat as an early symptom. The bottom line is, keep your child at home if they are ill. Contact your child’s doctor and have your child tested for COVID-19. Contact your child's school. Keep your child at home until you get their test results and please report them to the school as soon as possible. Students who exhibit symptoms will be sent home until the school has evidence that the child's condition is not due to COVID-19.

Will I be required to test my child prior to returning to school?

• While it is not required to get your child tested prior to returning to school, we are highly encouraging parents to test prior to returning to school. The state has recently made us aware that they will be providing at-home testing kits for K-12 schools, but we have not received the kits at this time. More information on this will be forthcoming as we receive it from the state and county. Please continue to check your emails and notifications from Beaumont Unified.

Where can I access testing?

• Please visit the California for ALL website to locate a testing location near you: https://covid19.ca.gov/

 

Will students physically distance in the classroom?

• There are no physical distancing requirements for classrooms or schools, but staff will do so to the greatest extent possible if physical distancing is feasible. Barriers and desk shields are not required but are available upon request.

 
Will Beaumont USD offer COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics?

• We are currently working with Riverside University Health System to offer a vaccine clinic (Pfizer) for ages 5 and above later this month. Please check back for more information as it becomes available.

 
What if I am not comfortable sending my student back to school at this time?

• The District offers short-term independent studies, up to 14 cumulative days in the school year, and a long-term independent study option, 21st Century Learning Institute. For more information, please contact your child’s school site administrator.  

Thank you all in advance for your cooperation and support as we continue to provide a safe learning environment for all. Additionally, as we near the end of this winter break we would like to encourage you to avoid large gatherings and to take extra precautions as you spend time with your family and friends.

We also ask that you remind your child to return to the habit of good school hygiene practices and to securely wear their face masks on campus. The success of our schools during the first semester staying safe with limited campus spread, is due to your incredible partnership, let's continue to work together to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families.