From masks and vaccinations to remote learning, there are many questions about the new school year that is now getting underway in Ventura County. Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, addressed some of these pressing questions in a live virtual Q&A presented by the Ventura County Star that was held on Monday, August 16. A video recording of the event is now available to watch at the link below. Watch it in EnglishVerlo en español 

From COVID-19 safety to student mental health, there are many questions about the new school year that is now getting underway in Ventura County. Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, will address some of these pressing questions in a live virtual Q&A on Monday, August 16 at 6:00 PM.  WHAT: Live Back to School Q&A WHO: Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools WHEN: Monday, August 16, 2021, at 6:00 PM HOW TO WATCH...

Dr. César Morales, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, today applauded a new move by the State of California to require all school employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. “With the continuing spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, this is a commonsense step that will help ensure the safety of students and employees as schools reopen for the new year,” said Dr. Morales. “Most school employees are already vaccinated, and I&rsquo...

Very soon, Ventura County students will begin heading back to class for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Students in the Oak Park Unified School District are the first to return on August 9 and will be followed by their peers in the county’s 19 other school districts over the next few weeks.To say there is an unusual amount of excitement and anxiety over the start of this school year is an understatement. We’ve all been on an emotional rollercoaster since the pandemic started....

On July 1, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 104 requiring school districts to implement policies that give students opportunities to counteract the negative impact of the pandemic on academic achievement and graduation credits. The new state law includes the requirement that districts grant students the opportunity to change low grades to a "Pass" or "No Pass" option.

To help clear up any confusion regarding the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH)  guidance around mask-wearing at schools, the Ventura County Office of Education is providing the below flyers in English and Spanish. They aim to clarify when masks will be required for students and adults in a school setting. According to the CDPH, school districts are obligated to plan for and enforce the mask guidelines. Individual school districts will communicate directly with parents what...

In a new sign of progress in the battle against the coronavirus, health officials have reduced the minimum required distance between students in a classroom from six feet to three feet. The change came quickly after the CDC announced the new three foot guidelines last Friday. The California Department of Public Health, which sets the baseline rules that Ventura County schools must follow, soon followed suit. Ventura County Public Health, which has the authority to impose stricter rules than the ...

More public schools will be reopening to in-person instruction now that Ventura County is moving to the less restrictive red tier in the State’s coronavirus monitoring system. The move from the purple to the red tier will take effect this Wednesday, March 17, as COVID-19 rates decline in Ventura County and after the State eased the threshold to switch tiers because of increasing vaccination levels.  The change opens the door for schools that had not reopened the last time the County w...

California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the vaccination site at the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) in Camarillo Tuesday evening where thousands of local educators are being immunized against COVID-19. The Governor received a tour of the site from VCOE Deputy Superintendent Dr. Cesar Morales and Ventura County CEO Mike Powers.In remarks after the tour the Governor commended the County on its vaccine rollout, with its focus on equity, school reopening and saving lives. Newsom said...

The County of Ventura today announced a new goal of providing school employees with their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of March, which is significantly sooner than had originally been anticipated. This will be accomplished by working with local health care providers to administer vaccinations to educators in addition to using the County’s existing vaccination infrastructure.  “We are very gratified to see that the people who work in our schools are receiving hig...