Public Comment 6/10/20
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Public Comment 6/10/20 Last Name, First Agenda Item No. Name or Subject Comment (please limit your comment to 300 words) It was much harder for me to learn subjects such as math when I could not see the teacher on the board and other students asking questions. Thus, I think we should be able to return to school in Pedrotti, Jack Distance Learning order to gain a better education I believe with safety protocols in place the students should absolutely go back to school for in person classes in the fall. The emotional, scholastic and mental damage that will be done by a majority distance learning model is unacceptable. I would recommend that the fear-based decision making stop now— please listen to the majority of parents(70+%) and the students, who have realized how diminished their learning capabilities are Pedrotti, Anthony 11.1 at home. Thank you for your consideration. I feel strongly that we should continue with fully distanced learning. Returning to a space with a high quantity of people so Social Distanced suddenly will be anxiety inducing for many students. It could also Restaino, Tessa Learning hold obvious health risks. Why rush? What level of discussion is taking place on the SUHSD Board toward offering an Ethnic Studies curriculum district-wide, as parents at M-A, and across CA are calling for? https://www.change.org/p/menlo-atherton-high-school-race-and- ethnicity-studies-at-m-a Ethnic Studies https://www.change.org/p/defend-ethnic-studies-for-our-students- Eisner, Sarah and Social Justice save-our-curriculum-at-the-ca-dept-of-ed-now Based off of new findings regarding COVID-19, I believe that we should be able to go back to school fully in person. We would definitely be ok with wearing masks or following rules to keep us Cheatham, safe. We just want as normal of a year as possible and with the Alexandra School in the Fall new findings about Corona I believe we will definitely be able to. I believe with safety protocols in place the students should absolutely go back to school for in person classes in the fall. The emotional, scholastic and mental damage that will be done by a majority distance learning model is unacceptable. I would recommend that the fear-based decision making stop now— please listen to the majority of parents(70+%) and the students, who have realized how diminished their learning capabilities are Pedrotti, Anthony 11.1 at home. Thank you for your consideration. Brady Jarren 1 Open the schools As a medical provider I am seeing the mental toll social isolation is causing especially for young people. Teenagers need interaction with their peers and teachers. And the academic aspect and lack of true learning that they experienced the past 3 2020-21 School months is unacceptable. It should not be a matter of if but how Velado, Ivonne year you will slowly incorporate in person, on campus teaching. Hey, I’m a Junior now at Sequoia High School and heard there is now a debate whether going back to school or staying at home. Personally, as a student, staying home will be the worst decision Sequoia has made. I’ve had to get a english and spanish tutor School next year last year because I was struggling to learn at home. Before Federighi Gabe (Home or School) quarantine I was not struggling in any class but learning on my Public Comment 6/10/20 own is not easy. While teachers are “available” it’s more of a pain in the butt to find a time that works for both of you then to actually get help in the subject. My friends and I are all hands on learners and need to be in a classroom to learn. The everyday structure of getting up, packing lunch, and going to school helps me learn more, along with being more productive. I have days where i just sit around at home because i know my work is not due until friday so why do it monday? I don’t think making work due the next day is a good idea either because it only stresses out people and makes them feel pressured to turn in work on time rather than actual good work. Please, from a IB students prospective, don’t keep this quarantine in the fall. At least try it for a semester and let the STUDENTS decide if they want to continue it. After all, the students are the ones effected by this right? Not the parents... so let’s send a poll to ALL of the students and let’s let us (students) choose our destiny. I think that some form of in-school learning is necessary for all high school students assuming that safety measures can be taken. The distance learning that happened last year was less than ideal and I already feel that our kids have suffered from an educational standpoint. If distance learning continues into and possible through the next school year, not only will students suffer educationally but they will also suffer emotionally, Holmes, Jen 11.1 developmentally and socially. It was much harder for me to learn subjects such as math when I could not see the teacher on the board and other students asking questions. Thus, I think we should be able to return to school in Pedrotti, Jack Distance Learning order to gain a better education Our students need to get back to school. They are at a significant disadvantage by having 100% distance learning and mentally, they need to be back at school. If you look around the globe and throughout the country, the schools are opening up. There are of course risks to this, but with proper PPE, we can mitigate those risks. I'm not sure what the board is afraid of, other than Union backlash. The San Mateo County deaths from Covid are for not significant. 93 deaths and of that 84 of them are of individuals over the age of 60! We cannot hold our kids mental health and education hostage for what many consider low risk. There are also less fortunate families who cannot have access to the learning resources that others do. This creates further inequality and that adds insult to injury. The board needs to do the right thing and look at what's happening around the country at our Universities and High Schools. They are going back. We are faced with a tough decision. As parents we don't want to move schools just so our children can get an education live and in person, vs packets of homework and at home self teaching by Opening of You Tube. We have done our part and can continue to be safe at Federighi, Mark Schools in Fall school. I ask you to let the kids get back to school. Please reconsider 100% distance learning in the fall. Distance learning has been very challenging. The students need the Sorensen, Eric Distance learning personal interaction with teachers and fellow students. For our children to learn effectively, I think it's critical that you Learning Plan for have a plan for the Fall that includes significant in class learning Spottiswood, John the Fall and includes normal grades. My daughter did not learn nearly to Public Comment 6/10/20 her potential this semester due to poor planning and execution of remote learning along with a lack of incentive to excel due to the Pass/Fail grading, and I see little hope for significant improvement in the Fall. While this data was not highlighted in the Principal's Schedule Recommendations Slides, I think the three most important data points from the survey are that: 1. Fewer than 10% of parents prefer remote learning 2. 41% of parents would prefer 100% traditional, in-class learning 3. Of the 49% who would prefer a hybrid model, 57% want 3 or 4 days in class If you average these out, you get to an average preference for about 3.5 days in school per week and 1.5 days remote. The four stages of implementation in the recommendations seemed far off from the desire of most of the parents and students who responded to the survey. I hope that you will seriously consider this and offer more in class learning more quickly than is included in the recommendation. We do not support remote learning as a solution for all students. Our kids are in their formative Years and need social interaction for their well being. The spring was not successful for at home learning at all. Some form of partial on campus/ partial at home learning needs to be adopted to ensure a chance for kids to Villagrand, No to Remote engage and interact in the school setting. Social and emotional Michelle learning in the fall well being is being sacrificed with only at home learning. Hey, I’m a Junior now at Sequoia High School and heard there is now a debate whether going back to school or staying at home. Personally, as a student, staying home will be the worst decision Sequoia has made. I’ve had to get a english and spanish tutor last year because I was struggling to learn at home. Before quarantine I was not struggling in any class but learning on my own is not easy. While teachers are “available” it’s more of a pain in the butt to find a time that works for both of you then to actually get help in the subject.