This morning, the Mountain View–Los Altos School District and the District Teachers’ Association released the terms and conditions for the District’s planned return to in-person instruction. Released a few weeks later than planned, the agreement includes new changes to the hybrid model previously announced and finalizes all hybrid plans.

The agreement outlines all four MVLA spring reopening phases:

1. Stable learning groups will be deployed until Tuesday, April 6.
2. The senior class will be invited to join stable groups starting from Wednesday, March 31.
3. From Wednesday, April 7 to Friday, April 9, classrooms will be prepared for in-person learning, with Monday, April 19 marking the return to campus following Spring Break.
4. Starting Monday, April 26, students will transition to full days of hybrid instruction.

In addition to public health regulations, MVLA cited student’s well-being, a safe physical environment, continuity for the 2020–2021 school year and equitable learning access for all students as driving factors behind the decision.

The return will operate under safety regulations provided by the State Health Department and CDPH, including face coverings, stable groups, physical distancing, adequate ventilation, hand hygiene, surveillance or screening testing and reporting symptoms and close-contact exposure. Classrooms will use 3-foot physical distancing between students with 6-foot distancing between adult staff.

Students and staff will also be required to wear masks at all times, with the District providing KN95 masks to staff to be worn underneath an additional cloth mask. Classrooms will have fans, plexiglass barriers, MERV 13 or higher filtration systems and CO2 monitors. Regular testing will be required across campus as well.

In hybrid learning, teachers will use the same lesson plan to provide instruction through Zoom for students on campus and at home to maintain an equitable learning environment. Before the return, all staff members will have the opportunity to receive coronavirus vaccinations, and personnel who volunteer to be on campus will receive a “supplemental COVID pay rate” each day of participation.

If there should be a significant change in state regulations or the county’s tier of coronavirus risk, either party may ask to renegotiate; the in-person return will only happen assuming the county is in the red tier or lower. If the county, which is currently in the orange tier of transmission, reverts back to the purple tier, MVLA will return to stable learning groups and distance learning as soon as permitted.

All teachers are required to return to campus for the hybrid model unless they have doctor’s notes — in that case, teachers will not be required to be on campus until July. These teachers will continue teaching remotely through Zoom while substitute teachers will supervise classrooms.

MVLA also announced that the 2021–2022 instructional year, beginning Wednesday, August 11, will be fully in-person and debut a new bell schedule agreed upon previously.