This past Friday, Foothill, Myra Linn, and Wells temporarily experienced a power outage. It was an unplanned power outage in the area. Thankfully, it was only for a brief period of time. Power was quickly restored. If power was not quickly restored, our protocol includes contacting families and setting in motion an early dismissal. With excessive heat again in the forecast for this coming week, we will take all necessary precautions to conserve energy and avert another power outage. Schools are among the biggest energy consumers, especially older schools with outdated infrastructure.

Our commercial air scrubbers, which we have maintained in every classroom and every office space in every school as a COVID safety strategy, will be among the appliances and other non-essential electricity-powered devices that will be turned off when a local power system is under stress, to ensure air conditioning units, food services refrigeration, and our phone/communication systems remain powered.

In the case of a planned outage, schools can remain open and operational for short periods of time if relative conditions are optimal and necessary accommodations can be made for child nutrition and student and staff safety. However, during periods of excessive heat, student and staff safety would likely be compromised. If that is the case, district leadership will notify families of an early dismissal. Schools are considered “critical facilities” and typically receive priority notice of shutoffs and can plan ahead. We work closely with city and county utility service officials to respond to weather and other air quality issues.

Thanks to a systematic process for replacing and upgrading HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) units, many of our units have been updated in the last three years. As a result, we have been able to keep our classrooms and other school spaces safe from the heat and unhealthy air. However, the excessive heat has put a lot of pressure on some of our units. If your children have shared with you that they've had to move classrooms, it's most likely due to a unit needing repair. Our Maintenance and Operations team has been very busy keeping pace with demand and have done a great job.

Measure J, our $248M school facilities bond on the November 8, 2022 ballot, invests in school infrastructure projects including HVAC and other critical infrastructure to improve health and safety, increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve performance, and ultimately increase student and staff productivity. Most people don't realize that on average, energy costs are second only to personnel when it comes to schools’ budgets. Furthermore, California's Community School Initiative seeks to place schools as community hubs. Shared use, public access, and partnerships are stronger when our facilities match our community's needs. Learn the facts about Measure J here.

As I noted in my message last week, the process for establishing a full-time, 8-hour, bicycle patrol campus supervisor at every elementary and middle school started this past Monday. Our Office of School Safety is leading the effort. Our Human Resources team is working with our labor partners to get these positions filled as soon as possible. The purpose of campus supervisors on bicycles is to support perimeter supervision, increase visibility, and improve response time.

As I also noted in my message last week, we have accelerated the pace of work planned by our Office of School Safety and facilities division related to vulnerability assessments and subsequent security measures, including anti-climb, 8-foot fencing and security cameras. The safety assessments begin this coming Tuesday and will continue throughout the fall until every campus has been evaluated. The findings of the assessment will be operationalized into actions immediately upon the determination of needs.

Priority number one is to install security cameras and security perimeter fencing at every Alvord school, starting with our elementary schools attached to a park or in close proximity to a park. Projects of these types are considered public works projects and must be planned and completed in compliance with the California Public Contract Code. We are moving as fast as we possibly can and will continue to optimize every avenue possible within the statutory requirement to expedite the process. I will release a project timeline as soon as it is complete.

I am personally overseeing all projects related to school safety.

We have kicked off our Attendance Awareness Campaign for the 2022-23 school year. The theme is, “Stay Connected, Keep Learning!” We are committed to provide safe learning environments districtwide as we focus on re-establishing good attendance habits and family connections in the aftermath of the pandemic. “Showing up” is a valuable life habit – it represents more than attendance, it’s an attitude. And it’s not just showing up that matters, being present and engaged matters too.

The research on school attendance is conclusive. Attending school every day possible has the following impact:

• Helps kids get back on track and recover lost momentum
• Promotes student learning and increases chances of graduation
• Helps kids feel better about school and themselves
• Improves mental health through socializing, developing friendships, building empathy and forming lasting relationships with peers
• Allows for a personalized learning experience that keep students from falling behind
  
  

The research on the impact of a positive home-school relationship is also conclusive: Children are more likely to stay in school, graduate and do well academically and socially. As your education partner, together we will successfully prepare, educate and inspire every student to be successful.

On behalf of the Board of Education, on this Labor Day weekend, have a peaceful, restful, and safe holiday with your family and friends.

In partnership,

Allan Mucerino

Students Reporting a Positive Case: 106 (Last week 184)
Staff Reporting a Positive Case: 13 (Last week 26)
Cases Requiring Contact Tracing: 66 (Last week 160)

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: 177.45 (Last Week 191.54)

New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population: 8.2 (Last Week 7.3)

% Staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19: 4.7% (Last Week 5.1%)

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.