With Gratitude, 

Amber Lee-Alva

Superintendent

Auburn Union School District

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on October 1 that students ages 16–18 engaging in learning in-person are now required to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Governor, utilizing the emergency regulation process provided the administration in the 2015 school vaccination bill, Senate Bill 277, noted that as vaccines receive full U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for youth in other age groups, those students will be required to be vaccinated as well.

Administration officials expect the COVID vaccine will receive full approval for youth ages 12–15 by January. Once that occurs, that vaccination will be added to the school vaccine requirement list effective July 1, 2022, to affect the 2022–23 school year. Should the vaccine be approved prior to January, students will be required to get the vaccine sooner, Newsom said. No state requirement will be made for 5–11 year olds until that age group receives full FDA approval.

Medical, religious, and personal belief exemptions will be available. Though the personal belief exemption was removed with the passage of SB 277, there was a caveat that when a new vaccine was added to the list of those required, there may be an exemption for personal beliefs.

Please understand that this is a requirement implemented by the State and not a local measure by Placer County or AUSD.

As many of you know, CDPH released new guidance on August 11, 2021, requiring all staff and volunteers to be vaccinated or get tested weekly. This requirement needs to be implemented by all California Schools no later than October 15, 2021. This regulation applies to volunteering on campus during the school day. We will begin implementation of this new STATE requirement starting on October 11th. Volunteers can continue to participate by simply showing proof of vaccination at your school office (one time) or providing a weekly test to the office staff. Again, this is a requirement implemented by the State and not AUSD. 

A viral TikTok challenge has influenced our students and many other school campuses around the country. The posts tagged as “Devious licks” involve theft and vandalism on school property. Although TikTok took these posts down last night, it continues to catch on with other social media platforms.

Although many students watch the content for initial humor, they often realize it is vandalism and dangerous after reflection. Our campus has also experienced vandalism and theft of soap dispensers and other school equipment. These acts violate California Education Code 48900 (f) and are subject to disciplinary action, including but not limited to school removal, restitution, and police citations.

The challenge for October is “smack a staff member on the backside.” Please take a moment to speak with your child to reinforce that their positive behavior choices help us maintain our positive school culture and a safe environment. Please talk with them about social media and how it might seem fun but has serious consequences. We ask all students who see something to say something. Please utilize our District’s anonymous reporting system located on the homepage of our website to anonymously report incidents, pictures, and/or videos directly to Administration.  Your safety and access to a clean campus are our priorities. Thank you, in advance, for joining us in this effort.

September was Mental Health awareness month. Just a reminder, next week is the virtual Suicide Awareness sessions for families in Spanish. 

Here is the information: 

Octubre 6th, 6:00pm-7:30pm-Espanol sesion

The Auburn Harvest Festival will be returning to Recreation Park this Fall!  This year’s family-friendly event will be held on October 16th from 10am - 4pm.  Annually this event attracts 2,000 visitors from throughout our great Auburn community.  AUSD will be hosting a booth at the festival.  Bring your family and stop by to say hi.

Students will walk to school accompanied by various partners of the Safe Routes to School program in Placer County, which aims to support walkable routes and encourage active lifestyles in the community.

In the United States, International Walk to School Day is expected to include more than 5,000 events across all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.
The event is being organized by Placer County Public Health via the Safe Routes to School program. 

For more information, please review the attached flyer or visit one of these websites.

Flexibility with Additional Staff Needs

Do you like to volunteer and make a difference but don’t want to commit to permanent employment?  We are flexible and creative.  We currently have several unfilled positions.  You could work one, two, or three days a week or every day.  You could get paid without making a long-term employment commitment.

If you don’t want to become a district employee, how about volunteering.  We ask volunteers to help during lunch to assist with student support and supervision until we hire enough staff. If you are willing to help out at your child’s school, please contact your school principal. All volunteers must be fingerprinted and complete a volunteer packet.

COVID-19 Dashboard

To view this week's most current COVID-19 dashboard for AUSD, please click the button below.