@FaauugaMoliga talking on support of equitable services & staff for Hawaiian & Pacific Islander students with a focus on addressing the academic disparities among Samoan students through a pre-k through 14 pathway rooted in Samoa Aganuu indigenous practices #BoardWatch
Public comment on this item: appreciated comment from parent earlier about English learners who need more support. There are more funds for learning loss for these students, how are these funds getting to sites? #BoardWatch
Public comment: speaker (through translation from Spanish) wonders what resources are for students who are English Learners and also have an IEP?
Comment from Commissioner Collins: will not vote for this because families are being denied access to assignments which is illegal. CDE says we are supposed to approve, saying parents have access to communication from district is not true. #BoardWatch
Collins: this is not just a technical issue, but an operational issue in terms of policy that SFUSD is telling teachers about uploading assignments. Sanchez: this may be a conversation we need to have with labor partners #BoardWatch
Collins: now that we are in distance learning, I can't walk into a classroom and ask to look at a text book. I am being denied my rights. Want to hear from legal counsel about this. Especially considering the HS students are being graded this fall. #BoardWatch
G Counsel Houck: we don't disagree with your assertion, but what we are struggling with is that you are asking for a particular type of communication, and there is no law requiring a particular type of communication. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Moliga: didn't see anything in the LCAP around specific services related to learning loss for youth in public housing. #BoardWatch
Oh no! Just got distracted by life and missed the vote. I heard a couple of no's but assume it passed? Now onto the Fall Learning Plan presentation! #BoardWatch
These first slides are mostly recap. Here are the recommendations based on work-groups and town halls. #BoardWatch
Developed an MOU with labor partners (educators) and that included options to work from school sites. Have 10 work locations. #BoardWatch
New color-coded list issued by state, based on number of cases and positivity rates. (also learned Sup Matthews is color-blind). #BoardWatch
There is a decision tree for reopening schools. All boxes need to be yes for in-person instruction in small groups @boardwatch
Safety Measure: health check every day, need to take a learning module on safety measures, plan for possibility of repeated closures, plan to test all staff every two months. Not sure if this state guidance is robust enough #BoardWatch
Don't yet have testing plan in place but beginning to work with Kaiser on this. #BoardWatch
Here is a laundry list of safety protocols that need to be in place #BoardWatch
According to the Superintendent, many of these things (on slide attached) are done or in progress
These are also being worked on. Even if students don't return until Jan, want to make sure these things are being put in place now. Supe repeats refrain "if any of these things is 'no' we will not resume in-person operations." Focus is on safety #BoardWatch
If all of these are met, can resume Hybrid "2a" that would be about 1000 students potentially #BoardWatch
These are students who would be added in phase 2B #BoardWatch
Just a reminder, the slide deck is linked at the start of this item, too fast for me to keep up and capture all the slides! #BoardWatch
Public comment is starting now. First comment: Behavior analyst with SFUSD appreciates the presentation and explanation of the complexity of making a plan to return. Would be great if there was a way that the public could understand where we stand in progress towards readiness
Comment: we have a child with an IEP, can we do more contact tracing and maybe not shut down all the schools? #BoardWatch
Comment: noticed how often Dr. Matthews has emphasized safety, but SFUSD doesn't seem to be considering outdoor schools #BoardWatch
Comment cont. Whole presentation seems to be geared towards not reopening, like everything is an obstacle that can't be overcome. There are many parents who would be interested in helping to make this happen. Money spent on tech could be used to bring kids back. #BoardWatch
Comment: parent of students at Sunnyside, feel that Dr. Matthews is not expressing the significant interest in in-person learning that was expressed at town halls #Boardwatch
Comment: Susan Soloman from UESF agree that union and district have to be prepared for when schools open. Have 2 bargaining sessions this week. Very few people prefer crisis distance learning, it is difficult for parents, students, and educators, but looking at health and safety
Comment cont. Vital to vote on Prop 15 (State) and on Prop J (city) to bring funding to schools. #BoardWatch
Comment: although distance learning isn't ideal, it is ideal right now while we are still in crisis learning and still dealing with the pandemic. Have been hearing that there is a l to of support needed for families, like tutoring or supports for after school time #BoardWatch
Comment: parent of students at Jefferson is a proponent of school outside and also suggest donating to SPARK sf sparksfpublicschools.org#BoardWatch
Comment: need to start talking to parents now about what it means to reopen schools. We can't have outdoor schooling if it is rainy season. Need to look at air quality in the buildings to make sure we have MERV ratings of at least 11. #BoardWatch
Comment: teacher says that she does not like distance teaching, but if go back to early put the health of students, parents, and teachers at risk #BoardWatch
Comment: health risks are not the same throughout the city. Rates are higher in tenderloin. Also the teacher sites available are not equitably placed across the city. Should look at returning to school through an equity lens. #BoardWatch
Comment: concerned about actual preparation. Need to make a lot of changes. Safety is key. I love children and teach them and will come on board and help you. Need everyone educated #BoardWatch
Comment: parent of a third grader points out that death rate is lowest in the country. If DPH says it is safe to reopen, hope SFUSD follows the science like they have been saying. Parents are getting crushed right now and not feeling supported. #BoardWatch
Comment: parent stands in full solidarity with teachers. Appreciate district following all the health guides to the letter. #BoardWatch
Comment: special ed teacher says distance learning is awful but going back now is also awful. Reach out to your teacher, work with them, they want to work with you. #BoardWatch
Comment: teacher at Redding ES says there needs to be a step first where teachers come back without students. I teach because of the young people. The most people can do is vote in Nov. #BoardWatch
Comment: on behalf of CAC happy to see mod/severe students in special ed are priorities. Many of these kids have severe needs and are immuno-compromised. What happens if 1/2 class comes back? How does teacher deal with that? #BoardWatch
Comment cont. Not sure why there haven't been meetings of the stakeholder work groups about this plan. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Norton: hear all the parents who came out, cannot imagine what it is like to try to work and educate young children. We have to proceed in a measured and careful way. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Lopez: ultimately have to understand the risk implied in asking teachers to come back. Its a matter of life and death. Think SFUSD has gone "above and beyond" in enhancing distance learning. #BoardWatch
Lopez: concerned about bringing back the most at risk students first #BoardWatch
Commissioner Lam: we are living through a pandemic, none of us has done this before. District has embraced safety of families, students, workers and improved distance learning. #BoardWatch
Lam: also wants to be able to track progress over time. Has question about how to report to public. Will that be done by a committee? Reactivate working groups? #BoardWatch
Supe Matthews: could reactivate the workgroups, COVID policy team will be taking feedback from tonight. Sounds like more transparent communication around the decision tree is needed. Will take that back to policy team #BoardWatch
Commissioner Collins: understand there is frustration, and it is very difficult for all of us, but at the same time am grateful for district being one of first to close. Lack of leadership at National and State level, they are following our lead. #BoardWatch
Collins: opening when we are not ready is even more disruptive. If you send kid to school, then have to quarantine for 2 weeks. #BoardWatch
Superintendent speaking says that no bay area districts have given a reopening date, and two have announced they will not open before January #BoardWatch
Commissioner Cook wants to know how our district is monitoring other large districts that have opened. Superintendent says there have been some setbacks. #BoardWatch
Cook wants to know what would be done in case of a positive transmission. Chief Lau Smith: different than what it was in March. First find close contacts of the person within 48 hours of symptoms. If in classroom and someone test positive, need to find out about close contacts.
Close contact is less than six feet for more than 15 minutes with a mask #BoardWatch
If 25% of schools have to close, would close the whole district #BoardWatch
Cook: What is the plan if there is a need for equipment (eg, if someone puts a work order in and it doesn't get responded to). A: many fewer sites when we first go back, so harder for requests to fall through the cracks #BoardWatch
Chief Kamalanathan: have spent summer sweeping through them and addressing work-order backlogs, especially in the SE cohort. Eliminated most of backlog. Continuing that process now. Plan for hybrid learning currently working with staff at site to assess physical condition.
Cook: highlights tension: seeing certain things happening and wonder why schools are not opening, #BoardWatch
Next item: introduction of renewal petition for City Arts and Tech High School (it will be voted on at a subsequent meeting) #BoardWatch
Comment: member of charter school oversight committee says the committee is open to the public, welcome everyone to attend #BoardWatch
Reports from committee meetings: Budget voted on the two proposals adopted tonight. Curriculum and Program: discussed virtual learning, following up with another meeting around the experience/communication piece. Also discussed language pathways. Next meet Oct 8 @4.
Joint select committee on Friday at 10 AM, Student assignment next tuesday at 4PM, Sept 30 at 11AM is Building Grounds and Services #BoardWatch
Update from Ad Hoc Student Assignment Committee: took one concept off the table (most "neighborhood school" option). Still exploring how zones could be drawn to maximize goals of diversity, proximity and... (I think it is predictability)#BoardWatch
Next two meetings: September 29 and also October 14 #BoardWatch
Collins: there is a human rights commission meeting on Thursday and will be presenting as a staff. Opportunity for community input. #BoardWatch
Ford-Morthel: meeting starts at 5PM, presenting on equity studies and distance learning #BoardWatch
Commissioner Moliga: have been working to get some groups back into the state-wide ethnic studies curriculum. Working with other API school board members to advocate for inclusion of SouthEast Asians who have been excluded from curriculum #BoardWatch
Commissioner Collins: notable that we are leading in ethnic studies at a time when we have a president doing the opposite. Thanks to Teachers for Social Justice, UESF, and more. #BoardWatch
We are popping into the SFUSD Board of Education Budget and Business Services meeting. We missed the presentation and public comment on the PEEF presentation. go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board… Joining as commissioner remarks begin. #BoardWatch
Commissioner Sanchez is concerned about funds being shifted around from one line-item to another. Edwin Diaz who is PEEF director shares info about the process. #Boardwatch
Working to incorporate regular updates on where the district is in terms of funding, but have not regularly shared info on use of fund balance. Isn't because we don't want to, just have not built that into the update process. Plan is to incorporate this moving forward #BoardWatch
Hi there, joining the SFUSD Board of Education meeting. Superintendent report now. Highlighting one recipient of the Superintendent's award each week. A really nice video was shared, look forward to seeing each of this year's winners in upcoming videos! #BoardWatch
We won't be live-tweeting the whole meeting tonight, but will bring you some updates as they happen. #BoardWatch
Reminder from Student Advisory Council! Students can vote for student delegates until 12PM tomorrow. bit.ly/SFUSDStudentVo… (only students can access this) #BoardWatch@SFUSD_SAC
Joining back in to bring you a bit of the presentation on return to school. Reiteration that there will be in-person graduation for HS, MS will not have in person promotion for 8th graders #BoardWatch
SFUSD is still looking into adding a secondary grade for in person this spring, but waiting until late April after current waves go back. #BoardWatch
Here is some data about assignment for return to in-person learning. Some groups had lower response rates and lower interest in returning (Asian and Homeless population especially). Less than 1/3 of those who have had limited engagement returning. #BoardWatch
We are joining the Board of Education meeting for a very small portion of the regular meeting today. The Board is currently considering the nomination of a new Vice President #BoardWatch
There is a back and forth as to whether to vote on a new VP now or wait to allow more time for the public to weigh in. A motion to postpone the vote fails. @FaauugaMoliga is the VP nominee. #BoardWatch