I just wanted to provide a quick update on several non-urgent items.

First, as you may have heard, San Diego county has been moved to the purple tier status. This is the state of California’s most severe category with regard to the spread of COVID-19. It is a blessing that we were able to open when we did, because any schools who haven’t opened by now, cannot open while the county is in this more restrictive category. We have been informed by the county that we do not need to shut down. We do need to continue to be diligent in hand-washing and the other hygiene protocols being mandated (including masks and physical distancing where practicable).

We are one of relatively few schools in the county that have opened for in-person learning. The San Diego County Office of Education has published statistics indicating the following:

• Of the roughly 500,583 students in San Diego public, private, and charter schools, 27,820 (5.5%) are receiving fully in-person education. 122,189 are receiving a hybrid of in-person and distance education, and the rest are all on distance learning.
• Of the 27,820 students in-person in the county, about 53% of them are at private schools.

While it is heartbreaking that so many students don’t have access to in-person education, it really contextualizes, for me, how blessed we are that we are able to be open.

Second, our lawsuit against the state of California has come to a close. There isn’t any earth-shattering news in that regard, but here is a summary:

• Our case was dismissed by the judge with prejudice. The State of California has stipulated the following:
• The State’s cohort guidance does not impose a percentage or numerical cap on the number of students who may be on a religious school campus at any given time. The FAQ document issued in conjunction with the cohort guidance is advisory, not mandatory.
• We are allowed to choose between the industry guidance for schools or the industry guidance for places of worship when offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and religion classes. I will be looking into how this can help us, but while San Diego is in the purple tier, I don’t think this is very helpful for us yet.
• The State’s COVID-19 Orders and associated guidance do not independently authorize or restrict San Diego county from imposing stricter regulations than are set forth by the state.

All in all, this resolution is neither very harmful nor very beneficial for us. I’m grateful to Sidley Austin—the law firm who represented us pro bono—for their passion, diligence, and expertise.

Third, our new model of student-led conferences in the high school seems to have gone really well. I’ve gotten some positive feedback from several students, parents, and teachers; and I also enjoyed the few that I got to sit in for. Thank you everyone for your openness to this change! I think it was a great move. I’m especially grateful to Mr. Hudson, Mr. Schoenfeld, and Mr. Evans for leading the conferences. If you didn’t get to have a conference (for any grade, not just High School), they can always be scheduled with the teachers. Email is usually the best way to get ahold of the teachers.

Be bold and keep the faith!

Luke Heintschel

Headmaster

Saint Joseph Academy