Board Briefs: Jan. 11, 2022

Here are a few highlights from the Jan. 11 board meeting (the full agenda packet is available ):

Update provided on district’s response to rising COVID-19 case rates

Superintendent Kern provided an update on the district’s response to rising COVID-19 case rates. The rising case rates are putting a significant strain on schools with many teachers and other staff members out sick. The district has continued efforts to recruit more guest teachers and have staff from the district office and other central departments stepping in to substitute when possible. The district is seeing impacts on student attendance as well. The daily student attendance on Jan. 4 was 88.25 percent and daily student attendance on Jan. 10 was 80.82 percent.

The district will be making changes to how families are notified when a positive case is reported at a school site. Currently, only those who are identified as close contact exposures are notified. Moving forward, the district is looking to expand notifications to more students and families at a school site.

Starting this week, the district will also be adopting the latest guidance from the California Department of Public Health regarding isolation and quarantine timelines for both those who have tested positive and those who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. More information about these guidelines can be found at www.sanjuan.edu/quarantine.

Effective immediately and until further notice, attendance at both indoor athletic competitions and student performances will be limited to two members of each athlete or performer’s household.

Superintendent Kern’s full update can be found at www.sanjuan.edu/covidupdate.

Board hears update on family and community engagement

Staff provided the board with an update regarding the activities and actions of the district’s Family and Community Engagement department. The update covered the innovative ways that the department has reconnected, redefined and reimagined family and community engagement during the pandemic. Highlights from the fall have included food and resource distributions, virtual Family Power Hours and workshops and virtual book clubs, among many other activities. The team plans to hold a virtual conference on March 26 that will include family workshops, guest speakers and community resources. More information about the team’s work and future opportunities can be found at www.sanjuan.edu/face. The full presentation is available here .

Board approves creating new boundaries for Katherine Johnson and Arcade Fundamental middle schools

The board approved creating new boundaries for both Katherine Johnson and Arcade Fundamental middle schools, as well as adjusting the existing grade 6-8 boundaries in the western region of the district, as needed. The board also approved the relocation of the newly established Katherine Johnson Middle School from the Encina Preparatory High School campus to the current Creekside Adult School campus.

New boundaries and adjustments to existing boundaries shall be effective for the 2024-2025 school year. The district will engage with the community to gather feedback on these boundary adjustments and on plans for new and renovated facilities.

The Adult School relocation is to be determined and will require further study to ensure a new location supports the board’s interests as well as meet the needs of the students accessing the adult education program.

In other news…

The board heard an update from student representative Surina Naran from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC). This school year, SSAC has been focused on taking a look at the district’s student dress code policy and will be gathering feedback from students, parents and staff, with the hope of sharing a revised dress code policy with the board for consideration.

The next regular board meeting will be held on Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Visit www.sanjuan.edu/boardmeeting for details. You can also view videos of prior board meetings on the district’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/SanJuanUnified.