Welcome to the new school year; we hope that you have remained safe and well over the summer months. We are happy that all of our new and continuing credential and degree program candidates are joining us for a meaningful and successful course of study this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create challenges for our candidates, faculty, staff, K-12 partners, and our teaching/learning communities. California State University, Northridge will remain virtual through the Fall 2020 semester, and all university lecture courses in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education will be fully online synchronous this semester.
Currently, the majority of the K-12 school districts in Southern California are reporting that they will begin the Fall 2020 semester in an online virtual format. This means that candidates scheduled for student teaching or fieldwork in Fall 2020 will also begin their student teaching or fieldwork online. However, depending on the current local status of the pandemic, some K-12 school districts may reopen their campuses for in-person instruction mid-semester. If this occurs, all candidates will be expected to be physically present in the classroom where they are placed for student teaching or fieldwork.
For candidates unable to participate in person, see the paragraph on deferred placement below. Although we must wait for direction from the governor, state and local health authorities, and a final approval from our university safety committee prior to implementation, we anticipate that our protocol will likely include the following:
- Candidates will follow the health and safety guidelines of the schools and districts where they are placed;
- Candidates will complete COVID-19 Safety Training through CSUN;
- Candidates will sign an Acknowledgment of Risk/Safety Training form that includes COVID-19 language;
- Candidates will be prepared to shift from in-person to virtual teaching, or from virtual to in-person teaching, as circumstances in individual classrooms, schools, or districts require;
- Candidates will be responsible for obtaining their own Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as face coverings, gloves, or other items as recommended by the Los Angeles County or CDC COVID guidelines:[http://www.ph.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/protection/GuidanceClothFaceCoverings.pdf], [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html
- Candidates will monitor their own health and follow guidelines for being absent from school sites (notifying both the school site and CSUN immediately); and
- Interns and Administrative Services candidates working as employees in schools and districts may have additional requirements through their district.
Candidates Electing to Defer Placement
The University recognizes that, in some instances, candidates will choose not to participate in fieldwork in Fall 2020 because of personal risk. Candidates may make this choice freely, and they are not required to provide the faculty or staff with any reasoning or justification. A candidate that has not yet begun the course that includes the student teaching or clinical placement may defer enrollment. If a candidate has begun the course that includes placement, and chooses to discontinue work in the placement, the candidate should receive a withdrawal from the course. The withdrawal will not count as an “attempt” at student teaching, but it will require the candidate to retake the course and pay tuition in a later semester.