May 12

The nation’s largest system of four-year universities, Cal State, announced their campuses will not be reopening in the fall with online learning replacing at least part of the next school year.

“Our university, when open without restrictions and fully in person, as is the traditional norm of the past, is a place where over 500,000 people come together in close and vibrant proximity with each other on a daily basis,”  chancellor of the California State University system, Timothy P. White said. “That approach, sadly, just isn’t in the cards now.”

The sentiments have also been echoed by the University of California system which includes UC San Diego and UC Berkeley, both of which have already proposed hybrid models of in-person and online learning for part of next year.

May 6

Carlsbad City Council approved a new $5 million aid package aimed at the struggling and smallest businesses of Carlsbad that form the majority of the likes of the Village. The package is aimed at revitalizing businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic not sufficiently covered by the federal government’s loan programs. The city will accept qualifying applications for relief through May 25.

April 28

LOCAL

 Dr.Brockett’s latest loopmail to students and parents outlined the amended grading policy for Carlsbad High. All students are automatically enrolled for credit/no credit grades but can opt-in for letter grades in an email coming out later this week. At the end of the school year, students that chose letter grades will receive their highest percentages for their classes – grades from March 13 or from June 11 depending on which is better for the student’s GPA.

STATE

Gov.Gavin Newsom laid out the timeline for the state’s plan to reopen and begin lifting restrictions. The plan is long-winded and is comprised of four phases. Phase one which the state is currently focusing on is flattening the curve. Phases two, three, and four will incrementally reopen the state’s businesses. Timewise, the governor implied that phase two is around the corner, phase three is not weeks, but “months” away, and finally, phase four will end the stay-at-home order and will only go into effect “once therapeutics are developed.” The governor also said they are looking into a possible earlier start for the next school year, potentially as early as late July.

April 24

Today San Diego District announced that all residents will now be required to wear masks when within 6 feet of non-household members at all times. The order will take effect on May 1. However, the district also announced that it will lift restrictions on ocean access allowing for activities like kayaking and surfing to continue. However, beach activities that emphasize and benefit more from a larger amount of people such as boating are still restricted. The same applies to piers and parking lots. Beach closures themselves will be left up to the individual cities of San Diego County.

April 23

LOCAL

Last night the CUSD district’s school board voted on a grading system for the remainder of the school year resulting in an upset for the presumed “pass / no pass” system. Instead, the board voted on a hybrid where students can choose between letter grades for their semester of a pass-fail evaluation. More details will be released soon.

STATE

Gavin Newsom today announced that California had its deadliest day yesterday with 115 deaths.  Despite this, Newsom also announced plans to allow hospitals across the state to resume medical procedures that were delayed due to increase hospital capacity for an expected surge in COVID-19 patients. The governor’s office has also released a roadmap of requirements to eventually loosen the stay at home order.

April 17

LOCAL

• Superintendent Ben Churchill proposes “credit/no credit” grading for the 2019-20 second semester for all middle and high schools.
• The “credit/no credit” policy is endorsed by the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems
• The new policy is pending confirmation by the Board of Trustees, which will be determined at their April 22 meeting.

STATE

• An economic panel notably including Tom Steyer and all four living former California governors has been formed to counteract the coronavirus’ economic effects.
• “We are now in a pandemic-induced recession,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an announcement today.

April 14

CHS teachers announced today that the school grading policy will be decided this Friday.

Furthermore, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave insight on the progress of coronavirus restriction rollbacks but highlighted that the stay-at-home order will remain until after the original May 3 deadline, and May 15 for Los Angeles County.

“There is no light switch here; it’s more like a dimmer,” Newsom said. “I know you want the timeline, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves and dream of regretting. Let’s not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early, as much as we want to.”

April 13

Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced that his office will unveil a plan on Tuesday to begin lifting coronavirus restrictions. This comes after continuous news that the state’s peak cases will be lower than expected, backed up by Los Angeles County reporting the fewest cases and deaths in weeks. He warned the rollback of restrictions will be “incremental” and guided by science. Newsom also announced the rollbacks will be coordinated with Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington.

April 8

In a packed news conference Gov. Gavin Newsom and experts laid out information on coronavirus aid for illegal immigrants, the state’s plan to gather more protective equipment and more information on the statewide curve of the virus. Newsom said he would tap into the state’s emergency fund for $1.4 billion to allow for 200 million medical masks (N95 and surgical) each month, in addition to other personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gowns and face shields for frontline workers. Newsom called this serious influx of spending a “big, bold bet.”

April 6

During a press briefing on the coronavirus crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California has gathered enough ventilators to weather the COVID-19 emergencies of the state. Newsom also announced that experts now predict the peak of cases in California will come in May, and until then the state will be lending out 500 ventilators to the Strategic National Stockpile for areas currently facing shortages.

April 3

The College Board announces the first series of details about this year’s AP tests. All AP tests will be open-note and will cover content teachers should have covered by early March. Students will have 45 minutes to complete one or two free-response questions, plus five more minutes for upload times. All tests will take place between May 11 and 22 with makeups offered June 1-5. The College Board will provide information on accessing the testing system in late April so students and teachers can familiarize themselves. Read the College Board’s full announcement here.

April 2

The City of Carlsbad announces that parking will not be allowed on Carlsbad Boulevard or Ponto Beach in an effort to enforce quarantine and social distancing. The City cited the large amounts of traffic at the beach as a concern in the fight against COVID-19.

April 1

The University of California (UC) system announces in a press release that it will not require SAT or minimum grades for the class of 2021.

The UC Board of Regents outline key updates:

• Suspending the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in winter, spring and summer of 2020 for all students, including UC’s most recently admitted freshmen.
• Suspending the standardized test requirement for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission.

In an address to the state Gov. Gavin Newsom announces public schools will not reopen before the end of the academic year. “While our campuses are closed for the year, our schools are not,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said, emphasizing the need for distance learning.

Newsom speaks on COVID-19 updates and orders:

• A new partnership with Google will bring high-quality wifi upgrades and thousands of Chromebooks that will be made available – in addition to unlimited storage access – for students.
• An executive order will be signed soon, laying out guidelines for more extensive student meal plans.
• Over 34,000 people have signed up on healthcore.ca.gov, which was launched two days ago to increase the state’s supply of medical professionals.
• Newsom warns that it is “imperative to our safety” that schools do not go back, before adding that “masks are not a substitute for staying home.”

State Board of Education President Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond provides more information on statewide remote learning:

• California has cut the number of students lacking digital access by half through school districts purchasing digital hotspots.
• The State Board of Education will be posting updates for graduation requirements within the next day.
• There are about 5,200 sites where students can get grab-and-go meals, with many districts having expanded their meal systems so every student under 18 can receive a meal.