August 25, 2021
Dear OPA Families and Staff,
I hope that you all had a wonderful start to the school year! It was great seeing all the excited champions as they returned to school last week. We are all so grateful to be able to have in person instruction to start the year and have so many of our champions back on campus. Our teachers and staff have worked incredibly hard to make this an amazing return to school for our champions and families!
We want to continue to keep our students, staff, and families safe and healthy throughout the school year, so we are asking that everyone follow our safety protocols. Please make sure to keep your student home if he/she has any COVID-19 symptoms. Also, please make sure to notify the attendance office if your student has tested positive for COVID-19. All staff and students are required to wear a mask at all times while indoors on campus. Students are strongly encouraged to wear a mask when outdoors as well, unless they are eating/drinking. If students opt to take their mask off while outside, they should socially distance from other students to prevent any possible exposure.
As school gets underway, there may be some positive cases on our campuses. Anytime there is a positive case, our staff works closely with the Orange County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) to complete contact tracing and determine any high or low contacts. If a student is within 6 feet of a positive case for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period, they are considered a high contact. Any high contacts will receive a phone call from staff and a high contact letter with information and next steps. All low contacts will receive a low contact letter simply notifying them that there was a positive case and that they should monitor their student for any symptoms.
We will be having a Board meeting this Thursday, August 26 to discuss COVID-19 safety protocols in light of the many recent changes to the state guidelines and mandates and the recent increases in case numbers. The open session will begin at 7:00 PM. The Board meeting agenda can be viewed on our website and contains the link to access the meeting.
I want to thank all our students, staff, and parents for an incredible first week. We have many exciting things planned for our champions to make this an exceptional year. Please stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful evening OPA.
Sincerely,
Amy Kernan
Executive Director
