Ventilation is the key to helping students, staff and families stay safe - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Ventilation is the key to helping students, staff and families stay safe - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Ventilation is the key to helping students, staff and families stay safe

Thoughts on SFUSD’s Return Safely to School Together Plan

Last night district staff shared a plan for bringing students back to schools for in-person learning. Click the following links to see the proposed plan and presentation. (When the conversation becomes available via SFGovTV I will post it as well below.)

Click the image above to read the draft plan presented to the Board.

In reviewing the presentation, I made a request at the meeting for the plan to incorporate several revisions focused on increasing student and staff safety in returning to schools in the following areas: ventilation, masking and family agreements in following preventative measures, and testing availability.

Anyone who watched our hours-long discussion on school reopening last night knows each topic is deserving of its own lengthy discussion. In the interest of educating the public, I wanted to share my recommendations and our Board’s incorporated input into the final plan which we will approve next week.

Ventilation is the key to preventing the spread of Covid-19

I believe SFUSD’s ventilation plans must address air exchange rates ensure all classrooms meet health and safety recommendations recommended by health experts. (The World Health Organization recommends six times per hour,  and the SF Department of Public Health shared a recommendation of four times per hour at the last Joint Select Meeting on Friday, November 13, 2020. See my discussion with SF Department of Public Health staff starting at 58:05.) CONTINUE READING: Ventilation is the key to helping students, staff and families stay safe - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Trump/DeVos may have lost the election, but the battle for public education has just begun. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Trump/DeVos may have lost the election, but the battle for public education has just begun. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Trump/DeVos may have lost the election, but the battle for public education has just begun.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for public education. Lack of support from the Federal Government, in the form of testing, health and safety guidance, and sufficient resources has further exacerbated this crisis. States have had to fend for themselves and this has ultimately resulted in inconsistent support for school districts who are left with limited resources piecing together plans for crisis distance learning and school reopening.

Flexibility or free-for-all?

While we count the days to President-elect Biden assuming office (I’m literally counting the days), we still have a lot of work ahead to protect our public education system. Meanwhile, every district in our state is faced with the daunting challenge of reopening with a lack of funding and other important infrastructure.

Just as individual states have had to compete for PPE, ventilators, and testing resources, each and every district in our state has had to compete with other districts to figure out reopening plans while it struggles to meet the basic needs of families during crisis distance learning. Each individual school district has/will have to figure out school reopening which includes: logistics of social distancing, hybrid learning models, building assessments, staffing plans, and COVID testing for thousands of workers.

This summer, the California Department of Education drafted school reopening guidelines which marketed the plan’s “flexibility” in allowing school districts to figure out what works best for them. In reality, this free-for-all approach ended up privileging private schools, charters, and small suburban school districts that have higher per-pupil spending, smaller class sizes, modern facilities, and rich benefactors. This has resulted in larger urban districts like San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Jose getting left behind. The guide is titled “Stronger Together”, yet after several months of CONTINUE READING:  Trump/DeVos may have lost the election, but the battle for public education has just begun. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Parent and educators' questions on reopening schools... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Parent and educators' questions on reopening schools... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Parent and educators’ questions on reopening schools…

Last night the Superintendent shared more detailed plans about staff efforts on reopening schools. It was very helpful to see movement in key areas, like testing, and also hear more details and timelines for bringing various groups of students back to schools.

This presentation outlines key phases the district staff has proposed to take in reopening schools. Click the image above to view or click here.

Additionally, I am also deeply appreciative of my colleague’s efforts to expand this conversation and make this process more transparent. Commissioner Jenny Lam, Stevon Cook, and Gabriela Lopez have introduced a resolution to expand on the Superintendent’s work which delineates clear timelines and additionally calls on the Superintendent to partner with City agencies like the SF Department of Public Health and health experts at UCSF. You can read the proposed resolution here in English and Spanish. We plan to vote to approve it next Tuesday, during a special meeting on November 17, 2020.

While this progress is reassuring, I still hear frustration from staff and families that the decision-making process still doesn’t feel inclusive. Even as a Board Commissioner, I often feel like an audience member at our meetings. One specific example is that district staff made a decision to reduce the number of students it proposes to initially bring back, eliminating second graders who were originally included in discussions this summer. When asked about it at last night’s meeting, I was told the change was made this fall, yet for some reason information was neither shared with the public nor Board members. When changes that impact large groups of students are made without input, it decreases trust with families who rely on us to keep them informed.

For these reasons, I am pushing for more transparency and accountability in the coordination and decision-making process. I am working with Commissioner Jenny Lam to introduce an amendment to Commissioner Lam, Lopez and Cook’s resolution and will share details later this week. Public feedback has been wide-ranging and it is unlikely we will be able to create a plan that meets every family’s needs. Nonetheless, I believe it is important to ensure we are transparent about who, how, and why we make decisions in this process. Additionally, I’d like to see Board Commissioners take a CONTINUE READING: Parent and educators' questions on reopening schools... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

For families interested in learning more about distance learning and school reopening efforts... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

For families interested in learning more about distance learning and school reopening efforts... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

For families interested in learning more about distance learning and school reopening efforts…

I wanted to share some updates. Please share this information with other interested families. The SFUSD Board of Education will be introducing a Resolution 2011-10A1 SFUSD Return to School Safely tomorrow, during the Regular Board Meeting on November 10 at 3 PM. You can learn more about how to sign up for public comment by clicking this link.

I can say right off the top I am very supportive of this resolution and plan to support its implementation as soon as possible. I also have some specific questions I’d like to ask which may also lead to additional amendments before it is officially approved, hopefully next week. (Stay tuned for dates/times.)

Additionally, I encourage folks to join me during today’s, November 9th Curriculum Committee Meeting at 3 PM. I have a standing item on all Curriculum Committee Meeting agendas to discuss family communication and supports for Distance Learning and love to hear directly from families and students where staff can continue to improve. There will also be an update on a partnership with the SF Public Library.

Most notably, we will be discussing staff efforts to address disproportionate outcomes for Black students in SFUSD related to overidentification for special education programming and discipline. The presentation contains some really heartbreaking yet honest analysis of conditions many Black CONTINUE READING: For families interested in learning more about distance learning and school reopening efforts... - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM