I would be remiss if I didn't open my 9/11 message in memory of the thousands of people who lost their lives during the attacks at the Twin Towers, Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 twenty-one years ago today. It's a day to pause to remember and pledge to never forget.

I hope you were able to celebrate Patriot Day and our National Day of Service and Remembrance to honor the heroes from 9/11/2001 and all of our first responders who answer the call of duty every day, embodying the American spirit and heroism that inspires us all. Thank you to all our firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency workers, military, and other service members for risking your lives to save ours.

Our extraordinary social science teacher Ms. Mandy Bush and her Norte Vista High School’s Global Citizens class and Global Ambassadors club held their annual slate of 9/11 Remembrance activities and events this past week. On Friday, guest speakers from all walks of life shared their reflections on 9/11. The aim of the Global Citizens class and Global Ambassadors program is for students to see the world though the lens of school, community, nation, and globally. Thank you to all of the patriots who participated in the commemorative events and specifically to the following people for their unique contributions:

Chief Austin and Debbie Austin (Arlington Rotary)

Zack Earp (Veteran, educator, former Alvord Board member)

William Tarpai (Arlington Rotary and NV Alumni)

Diane Elton (International Relations Council of Riverside)

Tim and Tina Hively (retired NV Teacher)

Councilman Steve Hemenway (Ward 7)

Councilman Jim Perry (Ward 6)

Terrance Gant (retired Marine)

Art Kaspereen (retired educator and former Board member)

Following Friday's event, Team Read, White, and Blue were joined by the Southern California Garrison of the 501st Legion and other members of the community for a Remembrance Walk/Run around the Zack Earp Stadium track in honor of those lives lost on September 11, 2001.

This past week, two of our middle schools responded to alleged threatening comments and rumors that a student was planning to bring a gun to school. Thank you to the students and parents who followed the "see something, say something" principle and reported what they heard and saw to the police and the school so that swift action could be taken. And thank you to our school and district administrators and law enforcement partners for effectively managing the situation. Nonetheless, although there were no guns, the rumors made their way to social media, paralyzing school operations and striking fear in our school communities. Hundreds of families kept their children home on Friday. Attendance was down almost 40% at one of the schools.

When rumors threatening school violence are confirmed, the focus is on identifying the source of the rumors, while implementing the School Threat Assessment and Response (STAR) protocol, designed by a Multi-Agency Team led by the Superior Court of CA in Riverside, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement agencies, the Probation Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Public social Services, the Riverside University Health System, Behavioral Health, the Riverside County Office of Education, and local school districts.

STAR protocol is used in school-related incidents for prevention, threat assessment, intervention, and response to youth who are at risk to commit or have committed a violent act. Following the protocol ensures uniform implementation, enforcement, and reporting of incidents involving youth and guns/explosive devices or threat of great harm to students, schools, or school staff. When schools confirm threats, even when it's simply a rumor, parents of students at the effected school are notified by the principal via Parent Square as soon as the situation is assessed.

Responsible parenting in the digital age includes closely monitoring your children's social media messaging. We need your help in encouraging responsible social media messaging to prevent rumors and misinformation from spreading. It's also important to reinforce the message that using the word "gun" in most any context may be misinterpreted as a threat, as may any threatening language used by students in conversation or directed at others. Making threats will result in serious consequences imposed by the school and law enforcement.

Learn how to keep your students safe on today's most popular social media apps as well as how to report inappropriate or abusive social media posts here.

Compared to the scorching heat we've endured the last couple of weeks, temperatures will be more moderate this week, though they are expected to rise again the following week. We will continue to practice energy conservation in our schools as well as follow best practices related to heat illness prevention inside and outside.

As of Friday, September 9, our comprehensive safety and risk management consulting team has completed vulnerability assessments at our elementary schools that are separated from a public park by a fence. This coming week, the remainder of our elementary schools will be assessed. Middle school assessments will take place on September 19-20. High school assessments will be conducted on September 21-23.

What can you expect as a result of the vulnerability assessments? First and foremost, an immediate response to any vulnerability or safety hazard that might pose an imminent threat to the safety and well-being of our students and staff. That may be human, structural, landscaping, technological, or even related to school culture and climate.

As I've noted in my recent messages, among our immediate actions are installing cameras at every school as well as replacing current perimeter fencing with 8-foot anti-climb fencing. Those projects are already underway. Beyond our immediate actions, the site vulnerability assessments inform our comprehensive facilities master plan related to capital projects that address safety.

Investing in building structures and systems such as roofs, electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and campus aesthetics inside and out, are also part of our master plan to modernize our campuses and provide our students and community with state-of-the-art facilities. For more information about capital projects and facilities planning, visit our Measure J information web site here.

On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for choosing Alvord as your education partner. We consider it a privilege and an honor to serve you.

In partnership,

Allan Mucerino

Students Reporting a Positive Case: 50 (Last week 106)
Staff Reporting a Positive Case: 9 (Last week 13)
Cases Requiring Contact Tracing: 31 (Last week 66)

Riverside County Data COVID-19 Community Level: Low (last week Low)

Weekly Metrics Used to Determine the COVID-19 Community Level

Case Rate per 100,000 population: 140.54 (Last Week 177.45)

New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population: 6.1 (Last Week 8.2)

% Staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19: 4.3% (Last Week 4.7%)

Recommended actions based on current level

Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.