Friday, July 31, 2020

Please Post Committee Meeting Schedules for 2020-21 School Year and Notices of Cancellation

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 General Membership Meeting Schedule for Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2020-21-general-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 Executive Board Meeting Schedule for Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2020-21-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 General Membership Meeting Schedule for District Advisory Council (DAC) for Compensatory Education
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2020-21-general-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 Executive Board Meeting Schedule for District Advisory Council (DAC) for Compensatory Education
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2020-21-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 General Membership Meeting Schedule for District English learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2020-21-meeting-schedules-and-information

 

·         Notice of 2020-21 Executive Board Meeting Schedule for District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC)
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2020-21-meeting-schedules-and-information

 

·         Notice of Cancellation: Executive/Governance Subcommittee for Props S/Z & Measure YY ICOC – Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/executivegovernance-subcommittee

 

·         Notice of Cancellation: Construction Subcommittee for Props S/Z & Measure YY ICOC – Thursday, August 6, 2020
Committee Meeting Information Page:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/construction-subcommittee

 

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.


Additionally, please refer to the below links for upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes of the board advisory committees:

 

·        Audit and Finance: https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        CTEAC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cteac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2020-21-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2020-21-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2020-21-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2020-21-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DELAC: General Membership and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2020-21-meeting-schedules-and-information

·        CSFC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

·        ICOC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

·        Multi-Agency Task Force https://www.sandiegounified.org/multi-agency-task-force

 

Thank you.

 

Melissa Hamilton (formerly Hudson)

Confidential Administrative Assistant II

Board of Education

mhamilton@sandi.net

"The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." - Robert M. Hutchins

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

 

 

Thursday, July 30, 2020

NEWS RELEASE: San Diego Unified Leaders,Teachers Union Announce 2020-21 Online Learning Plan

[cid:f828b179-efb3-45b0-be31-47a9681cb174]







News Release



San Diego Unified Leaders,Teachers Union Announce 2020-21 Online Learning Plan



Designed with Input From Teachers, Parents and Students, Online Learning Plan to Resemble Traditional Classroom Instruction

July 30, 2020


SAN DIEGO -- One month before the start of the new school year, San Diego Unified school leaders and educators have released details of a plan to continue student growth and learning online. For students, the learning experience will feel similar, in many ways, to a traditional school year. San Diego Unified's plans were created over weeks of discussions among parents, students, educators and administrators, culminating in a formal agreement announced today by San Diego Unified and the San Diego Education Association.


San Diego Unified will open the school year Aug. 31 with the new online education initiative for students that is as close as possible to a pre-COVID classroom experience, including:



* A six-hour school day with customized learning experiences for each K-12 student
* All students will have daily, live interaction with their teachers via video conferencing
* Custom learning experiences will be based on student needs and will include daily live, online instruction (up to three hours), independent learning (at least two hours), working with other students in small groups or participating in educator office hours (at least one hour)
* All Elementary students will receive instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, and the arts
* Students will receive grades to measure their progress


"We continue working to bring all students back to campus as soon as it is safe and responsible to do so. In the meantime, we must ensure our students continue to learn and make academic progress," said Superintendent Cindy Marten.


Superintendent Marten said the district will continue working on access and providing free computers and Wi-Fi service to families that need them. In the spring, San Diego Unified provided more than 50,000 Chromebook computers to allow students the ability to work from home. More than 97 percent of students logged into their classes during that time.


The changes to online learning were designed after hundreds of hours of conversations with parents via online Zoom calls. Students, educators, school administrators and community stakeholders also participated in the summer-long engagement and planning process. The result of these conversations contributed to an agreement signed today by the school district and SDEA. Highlights of the agreement with educators include:


* Teachers and non-classroom educators will continue to work a full, standard workday
* Educators will hold office hours, organize small-group instruction and provide students with feedback on their learning
* Educators will have added flexibility to account for the challenges of online instruction
* Educator growth and progress will be supported

"All San Diego educators long for the day they can be back in class with their students, but the COVID-19 crisis has made that impossible for now," said Kisha Borden, SDEA President. "I am proud of the work we've done to make improvements to online learning that puts the emphasis on the quality of instruction, and creates space for meaningful parent and family engagement during this time of crisis."


The President of the San Diego Unified Parent Teacher Association, Mahogany Taylor, believes parents will also be pleased with the details of the new online learning plan. This spring, many parents expressed frustration with the challenges of learning multiple software platforms to maintain contact with school. San Diego Unified announced plans to limit the number of platforms parents will need to use.


"Online learning is going to be better, because parents helped design it," Taylor said. "There will be many challenges to overcome this school year, both those that are currently known and those that are yet to come. But students, families and district personnel have repeatedly shown the courage, flexibility and teamwork necessary to make this year successful."


To support student, parent and educator success in the new online environment for the new academic year, San Diego Unified has planned a boot camp to help everyone adapt. Both educators and students will spend the first week of the new school year receiving differentiated learning opportunities to become stronger teachers and learners in the online world.


San Diego Unified leaders will release additional details of the online learning plan for the fall on Aug. 10, the same day on which the district plans to provide the next public assessment of when it will be safe to physically reopen. The school system is working with health experts from the University of California, San Diego to plan, refine and implement on-campus safety protocols for the eventual return of students and teachers to the classroom.


MEDIA CONTACT: Chief Public Information Officer Andrew Sharp, (619) 252-6848



###

Sunday, July 26, 2020

News Release: SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

  

 

 

 

News Release

 

San Diego Unified Leaders Call on City Council to Extend Ban on Evictions

 

School Board President, Vice President and Superintendent Back Plan by City Council President to Protect Parents, Renters in One of America’s Most Expensive Housing Markets


July 26, 2020

 

SAN DIEGO -- Leaders from the San Diego Unified School District have called on the San Diego City Council to extend protections for renters through winter until March 31, 2021. The City Council is scheduled Tuesday to consider a proposal from Council President Georgette Gómez that gives renters additional time to pay back rent without the fear of being made homeless by the COVID-19 recession. San Diego Unified leaders made the announcement as California approaches the grim milestone of 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. San Diego County has surpassed 500 COVID-19 deaths.

 

“We know our families are some of the hardest working people in San Diego, and they should not lose their homes because they have lost their jobs due to a national recession caused by a global pandemic,” said Board President John Lee Evans. “Certainly, the COVID-19 crisis has created enough misery in our community without adding to its toll.”

 

The uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 virus required San Diego Unified to announce plans to start the new school year online on Aug. 31. The current ban on residential evictions expires a month later on Sept. 30.


“So long as the virus continues to spiral out of control, it will not be safe for schools to reopen for all students. That means many families are using their apartments and homes as classrooms, so their students can continue with their education online. This measure from President Gómez will protect these families and give our students the stability they desperately need and deserve,” said Board Vice President Richard Barrera.

 

School leaders said there was added urgency for the Council to take action given the end of federal unemployment benefits today. The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation payments of $600 per week officially end today, July 26.


“Time and again, throughout this crisis, San Diegans have come together to take care of one another. We did that as a school district, when we provided more than 3 million meals to hungry families. The City Council did that when it put a temporary halt to evictions in March,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “With federal unemployment benefits ending for thousands of San Diegans, it is time for us to come together once again and protect the most vulnerable among us.”


The CARES Act — the $2.2 trillion stimulus package — authorized $600 a week of enhanced unemployment benefits. Under the CARES Act, these benefits officially expire July 31, 2020. However, according to the U.S. Labor Department states can pay unemployment benefits no later than the week ending one week before July 31, 2020. Since July 31 is not a Saturday or Sunday, this means the week prior marks the end of these supplemental benefits, which are paid weekly or bi-weekly ending on a Saturday or Sunday. For all states, except New York, the end date was, July 25. New York’s end-date would be today, July 26.


MEDIA CONTACT: Communications Director Maureen Magee, (619) 381-7930

 

###

Saturday, July 25, 2020

cheap viagra to grow your penis

order today, cheap viagra
https://www.u-canbadge.com/





unsubscribe
https://forms.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/registries/abuse-contact/fo
rm

Domain Authority 50 for your website = 69 usd only - Guaranteed Service

We`ll get your website to have Domain Authority 50 or we`ll refund you every
cent

for only 69 usd, you`ll have DA50 for your website, guaranteed

Order it today:
http://www.str8-creative.co/product/moz-da-seo-plan/

thanks
Peter

Friday, July 24, 2020

Post Notices and Agendas

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·        Notice and Agenda for Special Closed Session Meeting: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 1:00 p.m., Zoom Teleconference
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

 

·        Notice of Change of Meeting Format: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 5:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

·        Closed Session Agenda: Board of Education—Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 3:30 p.m., Zoom Teleconference
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information   

·        Board Meeting Agenda: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 28, 2020, 5:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link:
http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BKUUHB7BB695   

·        Notice of Change of Committee Meeting Format: Props S/Z & Measure YY Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) – Thursday, August 20, 2020, 10:00 a.m., Zoom Webinar
Committee Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

 

·        Committee Meeting Agenda— Props S/Z & Measure YY Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) – Thursday, August 20, 2020, 10:00 a.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link:
http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BRQMHJ5B554C       

 

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.


Additionally, please refer to the below links for upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes of the board advisory committees:

 

·        Audit and Finance: https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        CTEAC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cteac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DELAC: General Membership and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CSFC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

·        ICOC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

·        Multi-Agency Task Force https://www.sandiegounified.org/multi-agency-task-force

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Monday, July 20, 2020

Please Post Agenda

PLEASE NOTE:

·        Special Meeting Agenda— Board of Education – Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 3:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BR4U5X7A70B4

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.


Additionally, please refer to the below links for upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes of the board advisory committees:

 

·        Audit and Finance: https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        CTEAC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cteac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DELAC: General Membership and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CSFC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

·        ICOC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

·        Multi-Agency Task Force https://www.sandiegounified.org/multi-agency-task-force

 

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Friday, July 17, 2020

buy DA 50-90 backlinkscheap

Buy DA50 to 90 backlinks and increase your ranks instantly

http://www.str8-creative.io/product/250-da50-90-backlinks/

order now while the offer lasts

thank you
Str8 Creative Team

Please Post Notices and Agenda

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·        Notice for Special Meeting: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 3:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

 

·        Revised Notice of Committee Meeting: Audit and Finance Committee – Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 4:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Committee Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        Committee Meeting Agenda— Audit and Finance Committee – Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 4:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link:
http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BMCR2T6B7E12      

·        Notice of Cancellation: Charter School Facility Committee (CSFC) – Thursday, July 23, 2020, 11:30 a.m.
Committee Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

 

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.


Additionally, please refer to the below links for upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes of the board advisory committees:

 

·        Audit and Finance: https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        CTEAC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cteac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DELAC: General Membership and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CSFC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

·        ICOC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

·        Multi-Agency Task Force https://www.sandiegounified.org/multi-agency-task-force

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Monday, July 13, 2020

NEWS RELEASE: Joint Statement from San Diego Unified, Los Angeles Unified School Districts Regarding Online Start to School Year

[cid:405c039a-74cb-4568-a1af-b748f6efd030]
News Statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Maureen Magee, (SDUSD), 619-381-7930
Shannon Haber, (LAUSD), 213-393-1289


July 13, 2020


Joint Statement from San Diego Unified, Los Angeles Unified School Districts Regarding Online Start to School Year


On March 13, four months ago today, we made the difficult decision to close our schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Much has changed since that time: New research is available, additional information on school safety experiences from around the world, and updated health guidelines from state and county leaders.

Unfortunately, much of the research is incomplete and many of the guidelines are vague and contradictory. One fact is clear: those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available. California has neither. The skyrocketing infection rates of the past few weeks make it clear the pandemic is not under control.

Therefore, we are announcing that the new school year will start online only. Instruction will resume on Aug.18 in Los Angeles Unified and Aug. 31 in San Diego Unified, as previously scheduled. Both districts will continue planning for a return to in-person learning during the 2020-21 academic year, as soon as public health conditions allow.

This announcement represents a significant disappointment for the many thousands of teachers, administrators and support staff, who were looking forward to welcoming students back in August. It is obviously an even greater disappointment to the many parents who are anxious for their students to resume their education. Most of all, this decision will impact our students in ways that researchers will take years to understand.

Our leaders owe it to all of those impacted by the COVID-19 closures to increase the pace of their work. No one should use the delay in the reopening of classrooms as a reason to relax. The coronavirus has not taken a summer vacation, as many had hoped. Indeed, the virus has accelerated its attacks on our community.

The federal government must provide schools with the resources we need to reopen in a responsible manner.

In the past four months, we have provided more than 47 million meals to families, distributed more than 250,000 computers to students and trained more than 35,000 educators in online learning. In the weeks ahead, we plan to continue this breakneck pace.


* The school year will resume on schedule.
* Teachers will receive expanded training in online education to better meet the needs of students.
* Students will receive additional training at the start of the year to become better online learners.
* Online supports for parents will be increased to make it easier for them to participate in the education of their students.
* Principals will continue customized planning for the safest possible reopening this fall.
* Free meals will continue to be provided at the current distribution stations.

On Friday, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed course and said it was no longer confident that opening schools in the middle of a public health crisis is the best option for children. That reversal symbolizes the speed with which schools continue to receive vague and conflicting information from the medical and scientific communities. It is clear our two systems will need to create our own source for reliable scientific information.

Los Angeles Unified plans to update the community in early August. San Diego Unified will provide a public assessment on Aug.10 of how soon (after the first week of school) a physical return to class would be possible. That assessment will be based on local measures of whether the virus is sufficiently under control, as well as progress on testing and federal action on funding. On Aug.10, San Diego Unified will also outline the physical measures planned for each school to guard against the pandemic and detail the online learning program for the 2020-21 academic year.

###

Friday, July 10, 2020

Please Post Notices and Agendas

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·        REVISED Notice for Regular Meeting: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 5:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

 

·        Closed Session Agenda: Board of Education—Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 3:30 p.m., Zoom Teleconference
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information:
https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information   

·        Board Meeting Agenda: Board of Education – Tuesday, July 14, 2020, 5:00 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BKUUF77B7549  

·        Notice of Change of Committee Meeting Format: Props S/Z & Measure YY Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) – Thursday, July 16, 2020, 10:00 a.m., Zoom Webinar
Committee Meeting Information
https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

 

·        Committee Meeting Agenda— Props S/Z & Measure YY Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) – Thursday, July 16, 2020, 10:00 a.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BR2TL276A719      

Please forward to staff and as appropriate, print agenda and post in a prominent, publicly accessible location at your site.


Additionally, please refer to the below links for upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes of the board advisory committees:

 

·        Audit and Finance: https://www.sandiegounified.org/audit-and-finance-committee

·        CTEAC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cteac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DAC: General Membership https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-general-meeting-schedule-and-information; and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/dac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        DELAC: General Membership and Executive Board https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

·        CSFC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/csfc-2020-meeting-schedule

·        ICOC: https://www.sandiegounified.org/icoc-meeting

·        Multi-Agency Task Force https://www.sandiegounified.org/multi-agency-task-force

 

Thank you.

 

Martha Corrales

Confidential Admin Assistant II

Board Services Office, San Diego Unified School District

619-725-5551

mcorrales@sandi.net

 

Do the best you can until you know better.  Then when you know better, do better.  -Maya Angelou

 

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

re: Additional Details

hi there

After checking your website SEO metrics and ranks, we determined
that you can get a real boost in ranks and visibility by using
aour 49 usd / Economy Plan:
https://www.hilkom-digital.com/product/economy-seo-plan/

cheap and effective SEO plan
onpage SEO included

thank you
Mike

Thursday, July 2, 2020

New Data: More Than Half of California School Districts Report Lead in Drinking Water

Link to CALPIRG news release here.


 

For Immediate Release: 

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

 

For More Information: 

Laura Deehan, CALPIRG Public Health Advocate, 415-420-4710, laura@calpirg.org

Josh Chetwynd, Communications Manager, 303-573-5558, jchetwynd@publicinterestnetwork.org 

 

 

New data: More than half of California school districts report 

lead in drinking water

  Interactive map from CALPIRG shows where schools found lead

 

SACRAMENTO- As California schools consider best practices for reopening in the fall, they must address the fact that too many have found unacceptable levels of lead in their drinking water. CALPIRG released an updated interactive map with results reported from schools. More than 2,100 school drinking water fountains tested positive for lead at 1,300 schools in the state over the past three years, according to a new analysis by CALPIRG Education Fund. 

 

The problem is widespread with 53 percent of reporting school districts finding lead across urban, rural and suburban districts. 

 

Based on the most recently reported data, nearly 18 percent of all California schools required to test have still not reported results. It is unclear if they have completed the required testing.

 

"It is unacceptable to expose children to lead. Now that the results are in we need to do everything we can to get the lead out of school drinking water," said CALPIRG public health advocate, Laura Deehan. 

 

 

These totals come one year after the July 1, 2019, deadline for schools to test their drinking water for lead under a 2017 California law authored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez.

 

"We required water districts to test school drinking water for lead because it's unacceptable that children and teachers could be poisoned by drinking water from their school fountains," Assemblymember Gonzalez said. "Now that the results are in, we know where we need to take action to make sure our schools have safe, lead-free drinking water." 

 

Several school districts started testing before the law passed and didn't delay in taking action after they found lead. 

 

"At San Diego Unified, when we found there was a problem with lead leaching from fountains, we got to work," said Cindy Marten, Superintendent of SDUSD.  "We tested more than 2,500 taps, addressed the highest risk water fountains first, and then worked on a plan to get rid of all the old fountains and replace them with new filtered hydration stations district wide. That plan was just adopted by the Board of Education in February, and we are proud that San Diego Unified students and teachers will have some of the cleanest drinking water in the country." 

 

Clay Elementary in San Diego Unified implemented the model plan and now has lead-free water school-wide. 

 

Oakland and Los Angeles Unified school districts have also gone above and beyond what current law requires in order to provide safe drinking water for their students.

 

Other school districts are also developing plans to get lead-free drinking water. 

 

"Fresno Unified cares deeply about the health and safety of our students, and we cannot allow lead, a dangerous toxin, to remain in our drinking water," said Fresno Unified Trustee Veva Islas. "Now that voters have approved funding for lead remediation through the Measure M school bond, FUSD needs to take further action to get the lead out."

 

One factor limiting many schools from implementing plans is a lack of funds. Both San Diego and Fresno voters recently approved school infrastructure bonds necessary to pay for improvements, including lead remediation. But for the school districts around the state without this revenue source, options are limited. Last March, California voters rejected a statewide school bond that would have included funding to get lead out of schools. 

 

Despite that action, Americans consistently indicate that getting lead out of drinking water should be a priority. For example, a poll released last week by EDF Action found that replacing lead pipes is one of the top priorities of swing state voters.  Later today, Congress will consider funding complete lead service line removal in disadvantaged communities in the next infrastructure stimulus bill.

 

#####

CALPIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Education Fund is an independent, non-partisan group that works for consumers and the public interest. Through research, public education and outreach, we serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful interests that threaten our health, safety, and wellbeing.