April 29

Santa Clara County Health Officer Sara Cody issues a revised shelter in place order. All county residents are required to shelter in place until May 31, 2020, or until the order is extended, rescinded, superseded or amended in writing by Cody. Read the full order here. 

April 17

Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) Superintendent Polly Bove provides an email update regarding the cancellation of activities. All five high schools and Middle College will hold a virtual graduation in June. Senior awards will continue to be given by each school. Senior Ball, Senior Picnic and Senior All-night Party have been canceled.

April 11

In an email sent to FUHSD staff members, Superintendent Polly Bove announces that the district will shift to credit/no credit grading. Students and parents will receive a letter regarding the change in grading policy later today.

April 2

The College Board releases new information about the 2020 Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Exams will take place between May 11 and May 22, while makeup test dates for each subject will be available between June 1 and June 5. Students have the option of taking exams at home or in school, and all students worldwide will take exams at the same time. Exams will be 45 minutes long, with an additional five minutes for uploading material. During this time, students will complete one or two free-response questions (FRQs).

Read more about the changes to AP testing here.

April 1

The University of California Office of the President issues an announcement about the temporary measures it will implement to relax undergraduate admissions for students planning on enrolling at UC for fall 2020 and future years as applicable. These changes will help students facing academic challenges in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to their press release, the Regents approved the following series of measures:

• Suspending the letter grade requirement for A-G courses completed in winter/spring/summer 2020 for all students, including UC’s most recently admitted freshmen.
• Suspending the standardized test requirement for students applying for fall 2021 freshman admission.
• Providing that there will be no rescission of student admissions offers that result from students or schools missing official final transcript deadlines, and student retention of admission status through the first day of class until official documents are received by campuses.
• For transfer students, temporarily suspending the cap on the number of transferable units with “pass/no pass” grading applied toward the minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units required for junior standing.

In a press conference, California Gov. Gavin Newsom confirms that schools across the state are expected to remain physically closed for the rest of the academic school year due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. According to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the state is working with a number of “philanthropic leaders” to make sure that all students have access to Wi-Fi and devices necessary for continuing distanced learning online. FUHSD has yet to issue an update regarding Newson’s announcement.

FUHSD Communications Director Rachel Zlotziver sends a letter from the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) regarding the extension of remote learning through the remainder of the academic school year. In response to the announcement by Newsom and Thurmond that California schools will not be able to reopen, SCCOE will transition from “in-person classroom instruction to instruction and support for students through distance learning options as described by California Department of Education (CDE).”

March 25

Zlotziver sends an update to the community, explaining that school closures have been extended through May 1. Spring break will continue as scheduled during the week of April 12. 

March 20

The College Board posts an update to its website, explaining the changes it has made to the AP exams for the 2019-20 school year. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has posed unprecedented challenges for multiple schools and communities, the College Board is providing free remote learning resources and offering a new at-home testing option exclusive to those taking an AP Exam this year. 

Read more about the changes to AP testing here.

March 16

Health officials in Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties announce a “shelter-in-place” order, mandating that residents practice social distancing by remaining in their homes for the next three weeks.

Zlotziver announces that FUHSD will offer grab and go meals at no cost to all students and children at all five high school locations and a satellite location at Fair Oaks Park. Meals will be available Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

March 13

Zlotziver sends an email to the community, confirming that the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education, has decided to close schools to students for three weeks beginning Tuesday, March 17 through Friday, April 3. Students will have access to online instructional tools such as School Loop, Schoology and Google Classroom. Principal Ben Clausnitzer confirms this in an announcement to students and faculty.

DECA cancels its International Career Development Conference (ICDC), meaning that MVHS members will no longer attend. 

MVHS Drama entirely cancels its spring musical, which was originally postponed.

March 12

AP Physics 1 teachers sent an email to students announcing that the annual trip to Great America was canceled. 

Assistant Principal Mike White makes it mandatory for all service clubs to cancel their volunteer events through April 3. 

FIRST cancels the FIRST Championship in Houston, which the Monta Vista Robotics Team planned on competing in after qualifying for the first time in three years.

In an email to the FUHSD community, Zlotziver explains that all athletic games and competitions effective Friday, March 13 will be postponed until further notice.

March 8

Santa Clara County parents and residents launch a Change.org petition to Gov. Newsom, Santa Clara County Public Health, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Santa Clara County Superintendent Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County School Districts and Superintendents, mayors and council Members and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

March 6

Zlotziver sends an email to the FUHSD community with an update from the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. Under guidance of the Public Health Department, the district decides to cancel the following:

• All travel to school-sponsored festivals and competitions, including trips both inside and outside of California through April 3.
• All school rallies, assemblies and dances beginning immediately through April 3.
• Events that do not allow for participants to be at arm’s-length distance apart from one another.

The Public Health Department does not recommend closing schools at the time, as children are not considered to be at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19. 

In a school-wide announcement, Assistant Principal Mike White announces that Junior Prom, originally scheduled to be held on March 28, will be cancelled and combined with Senior Ball, which will take place on May 30. 

Furthermore, the annual spring musical hosted by MVHS Drama is postponed until further notice.

Non-essential trips are officially cancelled — MVHS Variations will no longer be traveling to Italy, El Estoque and El Valedor will no longer be attending the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Spring Convention in New York; the MVHS Dance Team will no longer be competing at the USA Dance Nationals in Anaheim, Calif.; MVHS Color Guard will no longer be performing at its home show, competing at its circuit championship or attending the world championship in Dayton, Ohio even though it is the team’s first time qualifying and AVID students will no longer be taking their trip to Southern California. 

March 4

In an email to the FUHSD community, the district shares an update from the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. Despite concerns regarding travel and large group events for schools and students, Santa Clara County Health Officer Sara Cody and County Superintendent of Schools Mary Ann Dewan do not recommend cancelling trips and gatherings.

A student from Lynbrook HS creates a Change.org petition to make online learning an option for students who do not want to risk getting infected at school. 

March 1

FUHSD reaffirms its commitment to closely monitoring COVID-19 in an email sent to the FUHSD community. It advises that individuals and organizations take action to slow the spread of the disease, given that community transmission within California and Santa Clara County has been confirmed. All FUHSD schools will continue to be open; however, the custodial staff has been trained using the Santa Clara County School Outbreak Toolkit to enhance cleaning of classroom and school surfaces. 

Feb. 27

FUHSD announces in an email that schools are taking necessary precautions in order to prioritize the health and safety of students. The district is working with the Santa Clara County Office of Education, which is monitoring the virus with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Feb. 3

In its first email to students and parents in the FUHSD community regarding coronavirus, the district shares updates regarding the spread of the virus in Santa Clara County. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department announces that it has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of two unrelated cases of novel coronavirus. However, it is unclear whether coronavirus is circulating in the Santa Clara County or Bay Area.