GEORGE S. SZIRAKI, JR. Ed.D.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SUPERINTENDENT LYNN MACDONALD
MR. PETER EFSTATHIU AREA 1/ COLFAX & FORESTHILL
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT MAUREEN WARD
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AREA 2/PLACER
JEFFREY TOOKER, Ed.D. DAVID UNDERWOOD
AREA 3/PLACER
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES RON O ATES
AREA 4/DEL ORO
MRS. ELENA DALFAVERO DEBORAH BRANNAM
13000 NEW AIRPORT ROAD, AUBURN, CA 95603
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT 530-886-4400 FAX: 530-886-4439 AREA 5/DEL ORO
OF HUMAN RESOURCES www.puhsd.us

November 12, 2020

PAUSE and RESUME

Dear PUHSD Staff and Families,

As COVID-19 spreads, many businesses, schools and public agencies have implemented California Health
Department guidelines and restrictions to reduce the possibility of exposure and spread of the virus through
community mitigation. This aims to slow the spread of illness through protective and everyday preventive
actions such as staying home when sick, covering coughs, social distancing, etc.

The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families remains our top priority. First, let me state the
actions we plan to take are not required but rather precautionary. Placer County COVID-19 data (7-day
average daily rate per 100k and 7-day positivity rate) indicates community spread. All the research I’ve
read and our current experience indicates the opening of schools does not contribute to an increase in
community spread when the COVID-19 spread is stable, however recent COVID-19 trend data indicates a
need for PUHSD to pause and resume. Our communities and schools must work together to mitigate
COVID-19 and stabilize the spread. I want to stress to all of you the important role you play in ensuring the
continuity of instruction. We are relying on all of you to properly wear your face coverings, to maintain
social distance and stay home when you are not feeling well.

Effective November 16-24, 2020 the PAUSE will begin. We will return to modified distance learning
which is following a synchronized bell schedule (M, T, Th, F) with check-in/asynchronous on
Wednesday. Due to the fact that schools are not closed, teachers will be on site. All students are distance
learners. School sites may make exceptions to allow for in person attendance for extenuating
circumstances (we are open). Transportation will continue throughout the week. The following week,
November 23 and 24, 2020, we are on a check-in/asynchronous schedule followed by non-school days for
the rest of the week in honor of Thanksgiving. This PAUSE will give us 14 days to do our part to stabilize
our community COVID-19 trends. This is an opportunity for families to also do the right thing and follow
health guidelines during the holiday season.

We plan to RESUME in person instruction Monday, November 30, 2020. We plan to pick up where we left
off before the pause using the current modified PHASE 3 schedule. Every one of our employees has worked
harder than ever before to provide an essential service: public education for our community’s children. I
hope our entire community will join me in thanking them; for without our teachers, school nurses, bus
drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, technology staff, front office teams, school counselors, maintenance
crews, administrators, and many, many more, there would be no school.
COLFAX HIGH SCHOOL | CONFLUENCE HIGH SCHOOL | DEL ORO HIGH SCHOOL | FORESTHILL HIGH SCHOOL | MAIDU VIRTUAL CHARTER ACADEMY | PLACER HIGH SCHOOL| PLACER SCHOOL FOR ADULTS

The Placer Union High School District, an equal opportunity workplace, is committed to student learning by providing teaching excellence in a supportive environment.
We also would not have a school without our students and our parents. Our parents wanted a choice for their
children, and we delivered – it is not perfect, and we all know that, but perfection is not possible in a
pandemic. We are building the Remote learning/In person plane while it is in the air, while at the same time;
we are following our Reopening of School Plan protocols. Neither is perfect, which is why we keep
waking up, going to work every morning with the goal of doing better and staying late until we’ve done all
we could do.

This PAUSE and RESUME is being realistic that schools should be fluid and be able to adapt to several
starts and stops based on COVID-19 trends. Schools are an essential service, and we recognize how vital our
work is for children developmentally and educationally. Our staff has been amazing and willing to respond
and pivot. However, as parents, educators, community members and leaders, we know every decision we
make includes risks and rewards and we feel this PAUSE is best at this time.

We will need patience, resilience, kindness and strength as we move through these next few months. We will
persevere through this crisis, as we support one another and grow stronger together. This experience is
testing all of us, but it also serves as a strong reminder how resilient we are as a community. I hope to see
you back in school on November 30, 2020 (modified PHASE 3 - current schedule).

Truly, we have been, and remain, in this together.

Dr. George S. Sziraki

Superintendent

COLFAX HIGH SCHOOL | CONFLUENCE HIGH SCHOOL | DEL ORO HIGH SCHOOL | FORESTHILL HIGH SCHOOL | MAIDU VIRTUAL CHARTER ACADEMY | PLACER HIGH SCHOOL| PLACER SCHOOL FOR ADULTS

The Placer Union High School District, an equal opportunity workplace, is committed to student learning by providing teaching excellence in a supportive environment.