Letter to Families - Sent March 19

Dear SFUSD Families: 

We hope you are taking care of yourself and that you and your loved ones have access to the resources and support you need. This is a time of great uncertainty for all of us and we know you have a lot of questions. 

In today’s update, we want to share more about our current school closure plans and optional resources and activities for distance learning. We know that for some families, doing formal learning activities at home is not an option right now, and that is okay. No teacher can require students to do school work at this time.

School Closure Timeline 

SFUSD is monitoring new information from state and local officials. You may have heard that Governor Newsom mentioned schools may not reopen before summer. This was not an order. There is not currently an official order or even a recommendation that we keep schools closed through summer. 

As of today, our school district has NOT extended school closures beyond 3 weeks but we are preparing for a variety of possibilities. We will update families and staff immediately regarding any changes to our current school closure dates. 

We recognize that people are trying to plan and ask for everyone's understanding as we face this unprecedented situation together. We truly appreciate and thank you for your patience.

Optional Distance Learning

We are excited to share optional learning resources that students and their caregivers can engage in at home. We remind you all that these are OPTIONAL. We want you to engage when you are ready. Go to this website. 

Each of these ideas for learning are free, and most can be done with regular household materials. These resources and activities as well as any that your child’s teacher may be sharing directly are entirely optional. No teacher can require students to do school work at this time. 

More Home Learning Options Coming Soon 

We are a learning organization, so we are planning and thinking about ways to ensure teaching and learning can happen even with schools closed. And we understand that teaching and learning can take many forms, and should support different learning needs.

While schools are closed, we want students to continue to engage in academic learning and have regular interactions with their teachers. We know that not all students have the same access to technology. We are currently exploring options to provide students with devices and Internet access. We are asking teachers to prepare for both non-digital and digital learning options. More resources will be made available next week. 

Please continue to check sfusd.edu for the latest information and updates.

Take care, 

Dr. Vincent Matthews

Superintendent