Dear Canutillo Community,
This was another very eventful week addressing the safety of students, teachers, and staff, and I want to give you an update on our latest course of action.
Given the rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we have initiated a new on-campus instructional plan. Canutillo ISD collaborated with Region 19 school districts, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and received support from the El Paso Delegation and Health Authorities, to mitigate on-campus instruction based on tri-county hospitalization information from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
As of today, the counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson are currently in the Red Zone with a hospitalization rate of 44% and have been in the red zone for 13 consecutive days. Therefore, on-campus or hybrid instruction will only be provided to priority populations at safe capacity levels.
Priority Populations may include but are not limited to:
- Students with no internet access or device at home
- Students of families who lack effective childcare access
- Students of parents of essential workers
- Students with special academic needs
The hospitalization rates are categorized in four types of emergency percentage Zones which impact our day-to-day operations.
- Red zone: when more than 20% of patients in El Paso hospitals have COVID-19, school districts are able to continue remote learning for nearly all students. On-campus instruction must be provided to priority populations at safe capacity levels.
- Orange zone: when hospitalization rates are between 15 to 19.9%, daily on-campus instruction must be provided to all elementary-aged students within safe capacity levels. Middle and high schools may continue to limit on-campus instruction.
- Yellow zone: when hospitalization rates are between 10 to 14.9%, daily on-campus instruction must be provided to all students who wish to attend on-campus instruction in all grade levels, but some capacity limits still apply.
- Green zone: on-campus instruction must be provided to all students who request it with no restrictions.
Our teachers have also been given the option to teach remotely or from the classroom to protect their safety, when they are not being rotated in to support in-person learning. Therefore, students attending in-person instruction at a campus will either receive in-classroom instruction with their teacher physically present, or receive instruction remotely from their teacher via learning pods.
While all this guidance may seem highly technical and complicated, the ultimate path to conquering this invisible enemy is quite simple. It all boils down to individual compliance for the greater good - moment by moment, day by day, and week by week. Yes, this is all inconvenient, uncomfortable, and outside the norm. But these individual sacrifices for a relatively short period of time will, in the end, save many lives and return us to normal. Thus, wear your mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance.
During World War II, the country was in grave danger of losing its democracy and freedom. Men and women from all over the nation rallied to support the effort to defeat the enemy. One by one they enlisted. One by one they fought. Once the dust settled, our great country was saved for future generations. All of us today enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice. We now ask that all individuals, one by one, enlist to fight our present foe: COVID-19! Remember to Vote your Voice on Tuesday, November 3rd.
Pedro Galaviz
Superintendent of Schools