Dinuba Unified School District

Frequently Asked Questions About Returning to In Person Instruction for 2021-22

21-22 Preguntas frecuentes del año escolar en español

Survey is closed/Encuesta cerrada

In-Person, 5 Day a Week Questions

Q. What will the in-person schedule be at Dinuba Unified schools?

A. Dinuba Unified is offering a full pre-COVID, in-person schedule five days a week at all comprehensive school sites for the 2021-22 school year. Parents should expect schedules similar to those at their child’s school prior to the start of the pandemic.  As we get closer to the beginning of the year, your school site can provide the specific bell schedule.

Q. Is  Dinuba Unified offering the online model at each school (Zoom  from home daily with your teachers) or the hybrid model (partial in person instruction and Zoom with the same teacher)?  

A. No.  Dinuba is offering a full pre-COVID, in-person schedule five days a week at all comprehensive school sites for the 2021-22 school year. The first day of the 21-22 school year will be Monday, August 9, 2021.  The online and hybrid options at each school site will no longer be available.  

Q. Does the district have plans to help transition students back from online learning to their home school?

A. We recognize the lasting impact of the pandemic on our students. Our teachers and school leaders will implement a number of resources to assess and support the individual needs of students as we transition back to a full in person model.  Emotional wellness resources and personnel, and academic intervention will be a critical and immediate element of our return to traditional school schedules.

Q. Will teachers continue to utilize online platforms and Google classroom with students for in-person learning along with instructional resources they used in the classroom prior to the pandemic?

A.  Teachers are equipped with all of the same educational technology tools and resources they’ve had to use during the pandemic and before.  Many of these same resources will remain in use to support in-person instruction into the future.

Q. Will Choices and the Dinuba City After School Programs be offered?

A.  Choices and the Dinuba City will be offered using a traditional, pre-COVID schedule.  Information regarding Choices After School Program can be found at your home school.  More information about the Dinuba City Program can be obtained by calling 595-5940.

Q. Will Preschool be offered?

Title I Preschool will be offered during the 2021-22 school year.  Please call 595-7322 for more information.  We will not offer Little Emps’ Preschool or Mommy and Me for the 21-22 school year. 

Q. How will Special Education programs be impacted during the 2021-22 school year?

A. Dinuba Unified Special Education programs will be offered in-person, on-campus in a full, five-day-a-week setting.

Q. Is summer school required for all students?

A.  No. Summer school is not required for all students but is an option that your child’s teacher may recommend. Students who have been referred should work with their school’s principal if they have questions. Parents interested in requesting summer school enrollment for their child can contact your school to discuss whether academic intervention over summer would be appropriate for your child’s academic needs.

Q. Will DUSD resume field trips such as AVID and Band field trips and SCICON and other co curricular activities like GATE for in-person school? 

Yes.  It is anticipated that regular field trips and co curricular activities across the grade levels will resume for in person schools next year.  

Dinuba Unified School District Online Option 

Q. What if we want to stay online? Is there an online option?  

A. Families will have one online/independent study option, Ronald Reagan Academy, a TK-12 independent study school  for the district. Families wanting to remain in an online learning model must transfer out from their current school and enroll in Ronald Reagan Academy. Visit the Dinuba District website for more information about transferring to Ronald Reagan Academy School.  There will be no online option for parents at any of our comprehensive, neighborhood schools. Parents/Guardians of students with disabilities who choose an option that varies from their child’s IEP may be required to participate in an IEP team meeting to determine appropriateness.

Q. What does Ronald Reagan Online Academy look like?  

A. Ronald Reagan Online Academy is a non-classroom based school.  Ronald Reagan Online Academy  is a K-12 school that requires students to be independent learners.  Students must be able to work on their own and be able to meet via zoom or in person as required by the teacher.  At the 7-12 level, students will be assigned courses based on their individual intake with their counselor and/or principal.  At that time, the student and parent will go over with the counselor or teacher the academic record of the student and review the expectations for the school.  The counselor/principal will assign the student with a teacher and courses.

Q. Does Ronald Reagan Academy offer a daily face-to-face, on-site learning environment?  

A. No, Ronald Reagan Academy is a virtual, non-classroom based school.  There will be periodic requirements for the student to attend a face-to-face meeting or assessments with their teacher on the campus but instruction is conducted virtually online per your child’s schedule.

Q. When will families have to decide between in-person and Ronald Reagan Academy School for the 2021-22 school year? 

A. The commitment survey will be sent to all families and should be completed by Tuesday, May 25th. This survey will help the district determine staffing needs for Ronald Reagan Academy. This will begin the District's transfer process for your student, and you will be contacted about next step’s over the summer.  

Q. If we enroll at Ronald Reagan Academy for the 2021-22 school year, can we come back to our comprehensive (home) site?

A. Because you have left your seat at your current school site by enrolling at Ronald Reagan Academy, re-enrolling your student at their home school will be subject to space availability, which could possibly take place at the semester’s end following standard intradistrict procedures.  Middle school and High school students will need to meet with the Educational Options Team prior to transfer in order to determine if they are eligible to attend a comprehensive school.  For high school students, school eligibility is based on credits and grades earned at Ronald Reagan Academy and the ability to transfer those grades to a comprehensive site.

Q: If my senior enrolls in Ronald Reagan Academy, what is the latest date he/she can transfer back to their high school so they can graduate with their class?

A:  All high school students must have appropriate grades and credits to be considered for a return to a comprehensive site.  This means that a high school student must have progressed enough in his/her current classes to be able to transfer to the same class at a different school and align with the class in its current progress.  It is highly recommended that the latest any high school student should seek to transfer from Ronald Reagan Academy to attend a comprehensive site is at the semester break.  Any later time in the school year could create difficulties in maintaining academic progress and student grades.  The DUSD Educational Options will consider the requests.  

Q. Are Ronald Reagan Academy elementary students required to be online at a certain time each day or is the program completely flexible?  

A. Yes, elementary students will be required to be online on a daily basis, at a specific time, that will be assigned by their teacher.  Students will receive direct instruction from a credentialed teacher during scheduled times, which will be determined by your child’s teacher and principal.

Q. If we enroll at Ronald Reagan Academy for the 2021-22 school year, can we continue to play sports at our comprehensive site?  

A. At the high school level, co-curricular options at Ronald Reagan Academy are limited.  However, sports participation at DHS can be accomodated.  Please keep in mind, there is no way for an independent study school to offer the vast array of co-curricular activities available at a large, comprehensive high school.  Co-curricular activities for high school will be extremely limited.  Programs such as AVID, Med. Academy, and Construction Management Academy are only available at DHS.

At the elementary and middle school level, traditional, site-based co-curricular programs like athletics, visual and performing arts, SCICON, and field trips will not be offered at Ronald Reagan Academy.

Q. If a student is enrolled in Ronald Reagan Academy during their senior year, do they still graduate with a diploma from their home school?

A. No.  Each year, students graduate from Ronald Reagan Academy. Ronald Reagan holds a graduation for their students to honor this accomplishment.

Health and Safety Guidelines

Q. Will students and staff be required to wear masks during the 2021-22 school year? Will face shields be allowed in lieu of masks?

A. We’re tired of masks, too!  But for now, they continue to be required by local and state health officials in order for us to hold in-person classes. Face coverings and other health and safety requirements will be in place for as long as they continue to be required for our facilities to be open. As a result, we are planning for the possibility that face coverings may be required and would schedule mask breaks and similar opportunities for students to have time without face coverings during the school day. If requirements for schools change as COVID conditions improve, we will update plans accordingly.

Q. Will social distancing of 3ft be required next year? 

A. We will continue to follow the CDPH and Tulare County Public Health guidance for physical distancing requirements within the classrooms.  Currently, 3 ft of distancing is required between students in classrooms.  However, this may be adjusted as COVID conditions and vaccination rates improve. 

Q. Will the same symptom rules be in place for quarantine and contact tracing requirements?

A. Our trained contact tracing teams will continue to follow required quarantine and isolation procedures per current public health directives. 

Q. Will parents, visitors or volunteers be allowed on campus? Can parents walk students to class or pick-up students from class?

A. Yes, parents will be provided opportunities to volunteer and visit campus with details of check-in procedures and required health screening shared by individual school sites prior to the start of school in August.

Q. How will lunch-time and recess work?

A. It is anticipated that elementary students will use their school cafeteria for meals and meal schedules will be based on physical distancing requirements in place at the start of the school year. At the 7-12 level, students will eat in their regularly designated areas. Recesses will be held with supervision. Schools will communicate specific recess plans to parents prior to the start of the school year.

Q. Will there still be a Care Room?

A. Schools will continue to have a separate space or will use the health office for students who present with COVID symptoms while on campus so they can be cared for while waiting for parents to pick them up.

Q. What are the safety protocols for bus riders?

A. Dinuba Unified buses will operate home-to-school routes for all students qualifying for district transportation. On the bus, students can expect enhanced ventilation and sanitizing and required face coverings.  

DUSD 2021-22 School Year Commitment Form / Compromiso del Año Escolar 2021-22 Survey Link https://bit.ly/33Oj0sE