The Oakdale Joint Unified School District announced all school sites within the district, including secondary campuses, will open Wednesday, Aug. 4 with modified COVID-19 protocols.

According to new OJUSD Superintendent Dave Kline, masks will be required in the classroom setting.

In a letter posted on the district website, it states:

“CDPH (California Department of Public Health) stated originally that if students were not going to wear a mask, they would be excluded. That was a mistake and probably started some of the misperceptions that are currently taking place. CDPH also implied that mask enforcement would be up to the Districts. That is also false. Here are the facts:

1. All who are in a classroom setting, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask. That has allowed the schools to not have to address the 3’ rule in classroom settings (last year, during the last three weeks of school, we did have students outside because we could not maintain the 3’ rule).

2. If a student does not want to wear a mask, they can wear a shield with a drape.

3. Masks are optional outside.

4. Students who refuse to wear a mask will be offered an alternative setting (Independent Study). For TK-6 students, we will have live streaming with a grade-level appropriate teacher in the District. For 7-12, we will have Edgenuity, with weekly check-ins with the students. With both programs, participation criteria will be used to determine if the student should continue with such a program. They will not be excluded.”

The entirety of the OJUSD School Opening Plan 2021-2022 is available on the OJUSD website.

The district is relying upon parents, staff and students to self-evaluate for symptoms before coming to school each day.

Students should stay home if they have the following symptoms:

·         Fever (temperature over 100.4° F) without having taken any fever-reducing medications

·         Loss of smell or taste

·         Cough

·         Muscle aches

·         Sore throat

·         Congestion or a runny nose

·         Shortness of breath

·         Chills

·         Headache

·         Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite in the last few days

·         Have you, or anyone you have been in close contact with, been diagnosed with COVID19 or placed in quarantine for possible exposure to COVID-19 within the last two weeks?

·         Have you been asked to isolate or quarantine by a medical professional or a local public health official in the last two weeks?

Physical distancing will not be required, ventilation will be optimized, and students and staff should stay home if experiencing symptoms common to COVID-19.