Superintendent's Message
A Message from Superintendent Baker:
Dear RCSD community,
Congratulations! We made it through the first full week of Distance Learning!
I recognize we had a rough start to the school year. I am in constant contact with your principals and they have reported some of the difficulties we have experienced. As district staff works on these bumps and we continue to stabilize, I thank you for your partnership. As educators, we have always partnered with the parent at home to guide a child together and I never knew this relationship could become much stronger and closer. I admire your advocacy for our children and it’s good to know we can count on you during this implementation of a new way to educate your child.
By now, I’m sure that you've had the opportunity to go through the Parent’s Guide to Distance Learning, which was sent to you a week ago. We have linked the guide below one more time for your convenience and you can also find it on the Roadmap to Reopening my School page in the Newsroom on our district website. Please scroll down if you are looking for the document in Spanish. This 30+ page document was created by district administrators during the summer with you in mind, to guide you through this new way of teaching and learning. It took all hands on deck as it was our goal to include any and all resources that could be helpful to you.
One of the many resources you will find in this document is a list of individuals that you may contact with any question you may have. While we are not on school campuses every day and cannot meet with you face to face, we feel it is very important for you to have access to us as your school partners.
As I explained to the Board of Trustees during the public School Board meeting this week on Wednesday, August 26, it is important that we hear from you, which is why Board Policy 1312.1 exists. Please review the policy. Our school district has a process in place to make sure we are responsive to you. The procedure is explained in Administrative Regulation 1312.1.
If the process is followed to contact your school leadership, your question or request is documented for the appropriate district staff member to support your school administration with responding to you. District directors and assistant superintendents serve as liaisons between the school administration and the district and their role includes supporting the school leadership team. It is important that you follow this process by always starting with your school administration to help us appropriately and efficiently address your questions.
During an upcoming School Board meeting, Trustees will be discussing revisions to a policy that will be presented to them, Board Policy 6157 Distance Teaching and Learning. As you know we, as educators, are responsible for the privacy of your child and that includes your child’s school performance and academic records. District staff will present to the Board of Trustees revisions to the policy, which will now include our responsibility for protecting your child from being recorded during distance learning.
Similar to the current process school visitors must follow when visiting the brick and mortar school building by checking in at the front office, any adult sitting at home next to a child during distance learning will need permission to take any screenshots or record any live synchronous classroom activities. Our teachers need to be able to teach without classroom disruptions. While I can understand that a parent may want to record the lesson to review it later with their child, our school district also has the responsibility for the other children in class whose parents may not want their child to be recorded. We are responsible for the privacy of every child, whether that is on campus or online, and we need to assure you we take that responsibility very seriously.
This revision to the Board Policy and the difficulties we experienced this first week are evidence that we continue to learn how to navigate this new way of teaching and learning. This is not a ‘break year’ from learning. We are committed to your child’s education and we will continue to make adjustments and improvements to benefit your child’s learning environment.
In partnership for your child,
John Baker
Superintendent
Ongoing Services for RCSD Families
Redwood City School District
Website: www.rcsdk8.net
Location: 750 Bradford St, Redwood City, CA
Phone: 6504822200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedwoodCitySchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @RWCSchools