The Joint meeting of SFUSD BOE, City College Board, and Board of Supervisors is happening now. We will share some highlights. Hearing from DPH now. #BoardWatch
Question from supervisor Ronen: are teachers considered essential workers? DPH Director Aragón: yes @HillaryRonen #BoardWatch
Ronen: does this mean educator's children would be eligible for spots in DCYF program? A: yes, but there are limited spots available #BoardWatch
Ronen: how will we make sure that staff, students and teachers will remain safe? Aragón: basing on summer camp protocol. This should apply to DCYF programs and informal programs. Doesn't mean no risk, but greatly minimizes #BoardWatch
Summary: small stable cohorts, outside as much as possible, environmental disinfection, distancing, screening #boardgames
Ronen: what happens when someone gets sick? Aragón: take person out of the cohort, work with contact tracers, there is a slide set summarizing how this happened over the summer that was presented at UCSF #BoardWatch
Info shared: There were approximately 50o cases in summer camp out of thousands registered. School camp contact positivity was lower than whole county (2% vs 4%)#BoardWatch
BTW - there have been some new guidance documents issued for schools, out of school time, and pods (refer to this as "harm reduction - because the gov knows they are happening) #BoardWatch
Will post those in a minute ... back to discussion. It is being shared that there were very few instances of infections crossing cohorts. Majority of times it was staff bringing infection from community and rare that there was more than two infections per cohort. #BoardWatch
Here are the new guidance docs: sfdph.org/dph/alerts/cov…, sfdph.org/dph/alerts/cov…, sfdph.org/dph/alerts/cov…
Aragón says that there may be higher risk in the learning hubs this fall because cohorts are bigger and less time outdoors #BoardWatch
Aragón: Parents will need to sign and acknowledge that there is risk to participating in learning hubs. Want everyone to register so they can get information about risk - not do it informally. Registration will be through DCYF web site. 
Aragón says our city creates directives based on state guidance but also additional input from experts. Best practices are put out as guidance. Says SF has been more health-protective than the state. Three different levels: tip-sheet, guidance, directives. #BoardWatch
Makes it clear that learning pods are not allowable under city directives, but are not going to monitor what happens inside of people's homes. Different if it is a business. #BoardWatch
Ronen: we know these learning pods are happening: the fact is it is impossible to sit with child and also go to work. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Collins is concerned that she hasn't heard much messaging around the safety concerns related to home learning pods. Aragón: in order to get kids back in school all of us have to focus on safety to get transmission rates down. Need to message #BoardWatch
Collins: pods can mean micro-schools, nanny shares, share-care, outdoor playdates. Some are less risky than others. Can you add this to info being shared? @AliMCollins
Collins: thinks public deserves to know if cohorts (e.g. summer camps) are being shut down because of cases of Covid. DPH should provide guidance about communication/care plan for places like YMCA when there is a case and should be access to quick testing #BoardWatch
Collins: why can DCYF cohorts have 22 kids, but pods of 10 (or less) are not recommended. This is very confusing to the public. #BoardWatch
Aragón: smaller is better, but for those putting together the programs want to have flexibility and depends on space available #BoardWatch
Aragón: we have more transmission now than we have ever had, but we know that people are going to mix and trying to mitigate risk. Collins is concerned that highest need families may be placed in a learning hub with higher risk. #BoardWatch
Aragón points to the equity issue of learning loss as well. Need to advocate for resources to make it safest to get kids back to school. #BoardWatch
Aragón notes that he has 3 kids and wife is a first-grade teacher. Need to find resources to get kids in school and keep them in school. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Moliga @FaauugaMoliga appreciates Aragón and fact that the city highlights the needs of Pacific Islanders who are among most impacted. Working on a data resolution - large group of folks are not being highlighted like Vietnamese and Arabic communities. #BoardWatch
Ronen: wants to have intention to test students and staff in learning hubs weekly to make families more comfortable. Aragón: if things really improve in the Spring and we can open schools, need to have infrastructure in place. Including testing infrastructure. #BoardWatch
Ronen: is testing weekly a realistic goal? Aragón: there are resource constraints, can't promise we can do this at the moment. Ronen: we have to make it happen, what do we need to make it happen? Aragón: will have to get back to you, but agree with you #BoardWatch
Ronen: committing by next meeting to bring back information an achieving this weekly testing in the hubs. #BoardWatch
CCSF Trustee Randolf asks about guidance for community college. Answer: guidance came out last week from state and SF feels it is too lenient, will be coming out with own guidance soon. Here is info about that guidance edsource.org/2020/californi… #BoardWatch
Randolf also points to impact of online classes on mental health of seniors who take classes. Hope that we can have in person classes in the spring because no online equivalent for many lifelong learners. And impacts finances of CCSF too. #BoardWatch
Collins asked about changes to recent update for school guidance. Answer: stricter on masking and distancing and some updated information on ventilation. Now masking required in grades 3 and up. Teachers must be 6 feet from students and students should be 6 feet from each other
Now is an update/presentation from SFUSD Deputy Sup @myongleigh on the distance learning plan. #BoardWatch
Chief Facilities Officer Kamalanathan is commenting on preparations for facilities to return to in-person learning. She says they are making consistent progress towards preparing for limited reopening of some school sites @DawnKdelivers #BoardWatch
Here is the plan for phase 2/hybrid. Note PK-2 students can only be in classrooms built for them (not MS or HS), so in-person learning is focussing on Elementary school buildings (older students could be there too if needed)#BoardWatch
Size of classes/schedule will depend an distancing guidance at the time of opening. 6 feet distancing requirement would reduce capacity by 50% 3 feet distancing could allow close to normal capacity #BoardWatch
Kamalanathan: also thinking about outdoor spaces for classes and/or for eating. Next steps are looking at scheduling to serve as many students as possible, rethink time and space of school day #BoardWatch
Next up: highlights of MOU with educators. 1) calls for teachers to provide minimum of 2 hours of "synchronous instruction or interaction" could be whole or small group or 1 on 1 instruction. The educator workday is 7 hours. #BoardWatch
MOU: also looking at ways to provide district work spaces for teachers who want it. #BoardWatch
Question: is the two hours for each student or each teacher: A: it is per teacher, but 2 hours is a minimum and many will do more. Q: so for an individual student there is no minimum of in-person instruction? #BoardWatch
A: @myongleigh points to state law - every student must have live interaction each day but d/not say the amount of time, nor does our MOU. Asks for input from others on team SFUSD. #BoardWatch
Now Deputy Superintendent of Instruction Ford-Morthel is presenting on the distance learning plan. Notes that one of the main issues being addressed is equity. Want to make sure more time for connection, better communication, and more consistency this fall. #BoardWatch
Here are the distance learning priorities of SFUSD. You can find this and more online here. docs.google.com/presentation/d… #BoardWatch
Consistency: working to align school schedules. All schools will start at or near 9AM. Most sites are sharing specific schedules this week but some may not have shared yet. Also there are defined minimum minutes per grade-level. #BoardWatch
Clarification: 120 minutes of synchronous time is per teacher, but the goal of principals in schools is for students to have about 120 minutes per day of in-person interaction, but may not be teacher, could be other school staff. #BoardWatch
Materials: all students will have access to consistent materials (texts etc.) per grade level. This did not happen in the spring. Another change is that each school site is in charge of its own distribution. Also give chance to connect. #BoardWatch
Will have both a digital and non-digital approach. We know some cannot access technology. Even students with access will also be engaged in non-digital learning #BoardWatch
Here is a slide summarizing instruction for fall learning #BoardWatch
Distribution happening this week and next week. Reach out to your school/s to find out what dates it is happening. #BoardWatch
There is a specific plan for the first 30 days of distance learning that will be happening at all schools. All schools have "launch units" so the kick-off is similar from site to site.
For first week, here is what to expect. Will be assessing who has technology needs, time to connect and build community. #BoardWatch
Attendance: should make sure students are participating in daily activities. No longer an option as it was in the spring. There will be help, plans, and intervention if students are having trouble engaging. Attendance doesn't necessarily mean being on a Zoom call. Multiple ways.
Attendance will be tracked everyday and parents can see it in Parent Vue (more about that later says Ford-Morthel) #BoardWatch
Much of PD has been around how to do rigorous instruction remotely. Projects and tasks that allow students to make connections think critically. When is it best to be live and when not? Families can also access resources on how to do remote learning #BoardWatch
Also adding more student to student collaboration and more opportunities for educators to collaborate #BoardWatch
Have tried to simplify number of platforms: now SeeSaw for PK-2 and Google Classroom for 3-12. Still have access to apps in digital backpack. More content available in Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin as well as support in all languages. #BoardWatch
Here are more details on the digital and non-digital resources that will be available to students. Also SF Loves learning will be coming back as a daily learning opportunity on KTVU. #BoardWatch
Supports for special student populations are outlined in the distance learning plan. For students who were challenged to engage in the spring, there is a plan in place to re-engage #BoardWatch
One challenge in the spring was that SFUSD central office pretty much took over communication to families. Will need to shift back to sites, restart regular communication, SSC meetings, ELACs, AAPACs etc. #BoardWatch
Every site has a coordinated care team now, staring in the fall. Job is to help monitor attendance and engagement and follow up on wellness checks. #BoardWatch
There are several resources for families available. Also important for families to make sure they are on Parentvue. This is where you can see attendance, grades, newsletters and communications. In June 66% of students had at least one parent on ParentVue #BoardWatch
In the first round of wellness checks this fall, staff will be focussing on ParentVue and making sure families are signed up says Chief Lau-Smith. #BoardWatch
Also, there is a live resource link for families and students who need help/support. Here is info: sfusd.edu/services/famil… #BoardWatch
It is critical that all families fill out the multipurpose family income form! Do it here: sfusd.edu/services/healt…
Chief Technology Officer Dodd says there is now 1:1 tech support by appointment. (Link to sign up is here: booking.appointy.com/en-US/voluntee…) Shares the many forms of communication (see slide) #BoardWatch
Comment from Supervisor Ronen: Understanding was that 2 hours was per student not per teacher. Students PreK-2nd cannot do distance learning unless they are directly engaged or there is a parent at their side. It is literally impossible to do this and work full time. #BoardWatch
Ronen cont.: Have not gotten a schedule yet and school starts on Monday. What about parents who need to request shifts two weeks in advance? Cannot see how this works for families. #BoardWatch
Ronen: goal stated is consistency, but have no idea what schedule is, no idea how to organize my life. Know in some cases older children help younger, but then the older can't engage in school. Some opted out, watch TV or play. Some found care if could afford. #BoardWatch
Ronen: learned today that working with other parents isn't even technically allowed. What are parents supposed to do? Walk me through how that is supposed to work? #BoardWatch
Deputy Ford-Morthel: speaks as a parent of a 7 and 16 year old. Still have to figure it out. We empathize with what families are going through. Asking every site to not just send out a schedule, but a weekly schedule to families. #BoardWatch
Ronen: will the schedule look different everyday? Ford-Morthel: What happens may be different, but you should get a schedule weekly that tells you what will happen each day. This message has gone to all sites. #BoardWatch
Ford-Morthel: every school site will have a schedule out to families by TODAY. If you don't get one, I encourage you to reach out to me. Every student should have a schedule for the first day of school. #BoardWatch
Ronen: get that we are in an impossible situation. Don't want to be blaming, what I'm trying to do is to be realistic . . . be clear with families about what they can do and create interventions to truly help. #BoardWatch
Ronen: I got disappointed when I learned right now that the 120 minutes was not per kid. Also furious that the OST order does not apply to everyone and that learning pods are "illegal." We are not giving families realistic options. My phone is blowing up with texts from families
Ronen: want to come up with some plans for families that are realistic. Especially for PreK-2nd. Asking for: 1) a minimum amount of in-person learning per day per student, 2) Want consistent schedules, 3) make learning hubs as widely available as possible. Space is main issue.
Susan Soloman (pres of UESF) has some things to add. Schools being closed is necessary to public health and also very difficult for families, including educators. Lack of support for working parents is a government failure, not a public school failure. This could be a DeVos win.
Soloman, re MOU: says all certificated bargaining members will be instructing students for 120 min per day, this includes arts instructors, counselors, social workers, etc. #BoardWatch
Soloman also wants to make sure that this is not the venue for bargaining the MOU - can take input. UESF does want students to have daily interaction and instruction and want predictable schedules. Many educators have their own students and need flexibility sometimes. #BoardWatch
Soloman: paraeducators will also be providing support for students in distance learning. Under MOU also says teachers will have supplies they need: found out there are not enough devices for subs - will need them to educate our students. City could help. #BoardWatch
Soloman: we know that students and childcare is important, but also know that keeping everyone healthy is important #BoardWatch @UESF_Pres
Collins: feel like I'm in the middle of a lot of these conversations. Feel for parents trying to piece things together, but concerned at frustration directed at educators, SFUSD, and central office staff. Public schools didn't create this situation but expected to fix things.
Collins: have been working on this all summer. Heard 11 different things that SFUSD is doing that are new: resource line, TV show, wellness checks, video tutorials etc. Really respect educators and know that the site-based educators know kids best. They just came back this week.
Ronen and Collins disagree about whether issues of "learning" and "childcare" can be separated in this conversation #BoardWatch
Now there is a presentation on Community Learning Hubs from Maria Su, ED at DCYF #BoardWatch
Here are the basics. To be clear, these are not schools, no teachers, will be youth development experts. Essentially like a summer program with a learning component. #BoardWatch
Only will be 20 kids per cohort if the site is big enough to allow 6 feet of physical distancing. Challenge is finding enough sites. Will provide meals, supports for learning, and other supports like enrichment and physical, mental and family supports #BoardWatch
Maria Su: I feel that it was my duty to make sure our highest-need families also had options. (Not just those who could create "pods" and other programs to serve their children) #BoardWatch
Even though over 20K students qualify for free and reduced lunch, can only serve 6K students through this program. Here is how prioritize. #BoardWatch
Here are the types of supports being provided in learning hubs. #BoardWatch
Reaching out in person to invite families to this program. Families can decide if they want the support. Community based organizations and other systems of support are helping to identify families #BoardWatch
This is where the sites are located. Know that we need some more in the OMI and Excelsior neighborhoods. Working on this. #BoardWatch
There are also 150 slots of emergency childcare available for healthcare and disaster service workers #BoardWatch
Supervisor Haney: On issue of capacity, how do you prioritize within communities? Can you provide for all families who meet criteria? How will you decide? Su: it is very hard to say no to a family. There are around 4K who are in foster care, homeless, SRO, and public housing.
Within neighborhoods, will only outreach to families for the number of spots available in the neighborhood. Will have to prioritize kids who have highest needs. CBOs will help prioritize. Focussed outreach. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Collins is concerned that the process will leave out some families in need who don't know about the program or are not connected with certain agencies. Su: we are being very targeted. We are not asking people to sign up. #BoardWatch
Collins: I'm giving feedback that you are not reaching everyone. Dorsey-Smith from DCYF notes this is something that has never been done before. Working to reach out to as many places as possible. Feel free to share places we should reach out #BoardWatch
Collins: this is a flawed design. Librarians cannot tell you what it is like to be trying to help children in a classroom. Su: at least we are doing something. #BoardWatch
Trustee Randolph: is the capacity issue based on sites or staffing? Su: Sites. Randolph: could CCSF sites be used? Could this be a discussion to open up our existing classroom spaces that we are not using? #BoardWatch
Su: have had several conversations and feel optimistic that we will be able to use at least a few of your sites (CCSF) #BoardWatch
Ronen: where did we come up with this number "20" - bigger than summer camps. Su: combo of summer guidance and school guidance. For schools, it is OK as long as a stable cohort and the ability to do 6 food distancing. #BoardWatch
Ronen: so we are saying it is not safe for teachers to come back and teach class of 23, but it is OK to have groups of 20 in community hubs #BoardWatch
Su: even under state there is option of a waiver. SFUSD could choose if they want to to open (?) #BoardWatch
Ana from DPH: state issued directive that counties cannot open schools if they are on the watch list. City health officer agreed that 20 was acceptable number for a stable cohort. Distancing is key. Have experience with summer camps. #BoardWatch
Ronen: is the limiting factor money or space? Su: at this point, if we are going to plan for a full year of programming would be hard to manage cost for a full year. Need to also be ready with tech equipment. Worry that there will be a shortage so we will need to make purchases
Su: there are also changes in state reimbursement for food, so will have to cover additional food costs. #BoardWatch
Ronen: how much is it per meals? A: $12 per day per kid. Ronen: how many parents want and would utilize this option? #BoardWatch
Ronen: so you have the ability to support 6K kids for the full year? Su: not sure if it is for the full year. Ronen: can you get amended budget to me ASAP? #BoardWatch
Ronen: this should come out of Mayor's budget, not the add-back pot. Also, wonder if we could have a goal to provide this option to any K-2nd grade student who cannot learn without an adult present. This is a well-documented fact. #BoardWatch
Ronen: has there been any effort to ask families if they would utilize this option if it was offered to them? #BoardWatch
Su: there was a survey through SFUSD that asked if families would be interested in going back to school in person. Could get that data. Myong Leigh says he thinks that the survey data has been published. Continuing to accept responses to the same survey. surveys.panoramaed.com/sfusd/BTS/surv…
Collins: don't it is useful to use this survey data which was designed to answer a different question. Ronen: maybe would could design another specific survey. Su: 2500 families expressed interest through DCYF website. Worried about if we can meet the interest. #BoardWatch
Collins: DCYF needs to meet with parent leaders at district. Great sources of information Also, district can target specific populations when they do surveys. #BoardWatch
Dorsey-Smith says they have reached out to SFUSD to do outreach to families of students meeting specific criteria. Collins: seem to be building a program around buildings, not needs. #BoardWatch
Ronen: should get to public comment - want to hear from families. Have two things now that we didn't have before - we have a model, and by the time we would be giving the survey parents will have had the experience of distance learning for two weeks. #BoardWatch
Ronen: should do this survey to all ES students, code in a way so we can understand needs in priority population vs whole population. So we are not operating in the dark in terms of what we are solving for #BoardWatch
Susan Soloman from UESF @UESF_Pres says she is "feeling a little invisible." On issue of 20 students rather than 12 - there is a recommendation to put up walls in large spaces. As a former preK teacher, thinking about keeping 2- 4-5 year olds six feet apart sounds daunting.
Soloman: not sure what the "science" is that is being cited. Confused about the 20 vs 12 students. Thought had heard that city was adhering to strictest guidelines around COVID-19, but to hear that community centers can open worries me. #BoardWatch
Public comment: want to call on the city to invest safety for those working in learning hubs: invest in using the best science, cohorts of 12, not 20, face masks and shields, access to tests #BoardWatch
Public comment: community leader on treasure island says we should separate childcare from education. I hope you look at extending leave with pay for families. Need a way to be part of conversation - have not been to date. #BoardWatch
Public comment: case manager from Samoan Community Development Center. Emphasizes need for community learning hubs and thanks DCYF. For many of our kids, independent work-study doesn't work and parent's English literacy is low #BoardWatch
Public comment: program coordinator at SCDC sees need for community learning hubs. Saw students slipping through the cracks in the spring #BoardWatch
Public Comment: speaker from @ColemanSF1 talking about need for the learning hubs, many kids have to share space with multiple siblings. Vulnerable communities need this support. Make sure hubs in Excelsior. #BoardWatch
Public Comment: Patsy Tito ED of SCDC -having a community hub for Samoan and PI community is really important. Need safe spaces for them to be able to learn. The more we keep distance learning, the more Samoan and PI kids will fall behind in school. #BoardWatch
Public Comment: want to make sure resources are also being directed towards schools. I'm seeing in school town halls that Spanish speaking families are not getting the same amount of information and connection. #BoardWatch
Public Comment: don't seem to be hearing much about students with special needs or IEPs. Is there some kind of learning hub being provided for these kids? #BoardWatch
Comment is over. Commissioner Collins: don't understand the disconnect between what is allowed and what isn't. How is teaching 20 kids in mixed-age groups by a non-teacher going to work but small groups of kids in one's own home will not. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Collins: Also, need to talk about how we are supporting schools. Those are the hubs that most families are relying on right now. Many schools are creating systems of parent support based on their families. Best way to support is to support our district #BoardWatch
Collins: it feels like we should be mobilizing efforts to support schools this fall. #BoardWatch
Ronen: there is some tension in the room, I'm going to call it out. Between DCYF, Union, School Board -- less so from SFUSD. Idea was to figure out how to support each other. Agree with Soloman, that the task is so monumental - to roll out learning and also provide needs
Ronen: want to "take hat off" to Maria Su, DCYF, and the Mayor for stepping up and trying to help. Think we are setting our sites too low and not helping enough families. Want to expand it further (especially for TK-2nd grade) #BoardWatch
Ronen: at next meeting want to dig into this issue of 20 kids in community hubs. Want to at least get consistent information coming from DPH. Also think we need to survey parents to see if they would participate. #BoardWatch
Ronen: also need to get testing weekly in these hubs and need to know how much money we need to accomplish these goals. #BoardWatch
Haney: will try to make the next hearing (in two weeks) quite as long. Took up a whole day for key staff at SFUSD and DCYF. Don't see how our city functions without at least more childcare. #BoardWatch
Ronen and Collins both want more follow up by next time on how community hubs will serve students with disabilities #BoardWatch
It seems that the meeting is over. Happy Friday afternoon! #BoardWatch
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