NEWS RELEASE - San Diego Unified School District

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE 

 

San Diego Unified to Recognize Juneteenth as a Holiday, Raise Black Lives Matter and Pride Flags  

 

 

June 19, 2020

 

San Diego - The San Diego Unified Board of Education will vote on a resolution recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday “to be observed every year, as a day of celebration of the past, present, and future of Black resilience, culture, and liberation” at its meeting on Tuesday, June 23.

Under the resolution sponsored by Board President Dr. John Lee Evans and Trustee Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, the district calls on educators “to teach the importance of Juneteenth and current movements such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ that advance liberation efforts for the Black community with classroom lessons throughout the year…,”

 

Representing the longstanding intersection of Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement, a widespread spirit of civic action is taking place throughout San Diego Unified during Pride Month, triggered in part by the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

The district will raise the Black Lives Matter flag, along with the Pride and Trans flags, at the Eugene Brucker Education Center on Monday, June 22.

 

The intersection of Pride and Black Lives Matter is deeply rooted in history. Juneteenth recognizes that on June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and enforced the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing the final African-American slaves. Pride Month started in recognition of the Stonewall Riots, which was a movement against police violence, including aggression targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, led by Black Trans women in New York City. San Diego Unified moves to commemorate both movements. 

Understanding that there is much more work to be done, students throughout San Diego are making their voices heard.

“I think that this is long overdue…,” said Kai’Jah Peterson, a freshman at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. “All being considered, I am grateful that we are taking a step in the right direction.”

 

Kai’Jah participates in the Depositing Empowerment Through Outreach and Urban Development’s (D.E.T.O.U.R) Focused and Naturally Confident Youth (F.A.N.C.Y.) programs. 

 

Tuesday’s board meeting will be broadcast live and can be found on the district’s YouTube channel.

Media Contacts:

Maureen Magee, Communications Director, San Diego Unified: (619) 381-7930 

Samer Naji, Facilities Communications Supervisor, San Diego Unified, snaji@sandi.net 

 

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NEWS RELEASE - Qualcomm Technologies Donates Hundreds of Always-Connected Personal Computers to San Diego Unified School District for Distance Learning Support

Video of the donations to San Diego Unified can be found here. 

Photos of the donations to San Diego Unified can be found here. 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE 

 

Qualcomm Technologies Donates Hundreds of Always-Connected Personal Computers to San Diego Unified School District for Distance Learning Support

June 18, 2020

 

SAN DIEGO - As the COVID-19 crisis struck and forced the closure of school facilities, an unprecedented move to distance learning placed an emphasis on digital equity. Maintaining its commitment to equitable access, the district’s Integrated Technology (IT) Division distributed more than 50,000 district-funded devices to students throughout the district. 

The San Diego Unified School District has not been doing it alone; the district has received 900 new personal computers (PCs) with built-in cellular connectivity, as part of a grant from Qualcomm Technologies that supports the district’s migration to distance learning and aids its efforts to close the connectivity gap. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. arranged for the manufacturing of these devices specifically for this donation.

“Qualcomm is known for cutting-edge technology that has connected the world, but the company also embodies the compassionate spirit of San Diego by continually giving back to the community,” said Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “Thanks to this generous donation, local students will be able to continue learning, growing and preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.”

The cellular-connected PCs will soon become available for students still in need of computers, and are powered by the Company’s flagship chipset - a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ compute platform. A Snapdragon-powered “Always Connected PC” is a Windows laptop with cellular connectivity built-in to the device so users can remain connected without Wi-Fi, much like a smartphone. This cellular connectivity is a standard feature of devices featuring the Snapdragon chipset, in addition to their long-lasting battery life. The donated devices, powered by Snapdragon, will enable students to access the internet independent of their access to Wi-Fi, and experience the district’s educational resources longer than possible on a convention laptop.

“The ‘connectivity divide’ among our district’s students was made especially clear as our community turned to distance learning, and I am proud of how our employees saw a need and took action to use technology invented within the city,’” said Susie Armstrong, Senior Vice President, Engineering for Qualcomm Incorporated. “Snapdragon-powered always connected PCs are the ideal device for students and teachers, enabling them to connect and learn from anywhere by taking the classroom with them.”

Also part of the grant, Qualcomm Incorporated is making a one-time $141,000 donation to cover cellular connectivity costs for these 900 devices, ensuring students and families have access to learning materials through the summer. As the summer begins, students can use their always-connected PCs to participate in SDUSD Stories/Expanding Horizons, a new summer initiative to inspire, provide a platform to share student voices, and to keep our school community engaged. 

Bringing together industry and the public sector, this public-private partnership exemplifies San Diego’s commitment to ensuring all students have the tools they need to succeed.

“We are deeply committed to closing the connectivity gap,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “While we continue advocating for additional state and federal support, Qualcomm has stepped up and shown why San Diego really is America’s finest city. This partnership goes a long way at supporting our students and teachers.”

Qualcomm has previously launched an initiative to help prepare students for careers in tech by installing a Qualcomm® Thinkabit Lab™ at their corporate headquarters and in several schools throughout the county, including Lewis Middle School. 

The grant will be presented to the Board of Education later this summer. Once approved, the district will develop a plan to distribute the Always Connected PCs. 

Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. 

Qualcomm, Thinkabit Lab and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries.

Related Media/Links:

Video of the donations to San Diego Unified can be found here. 

Photos of the donations to San Diego Unified can be found here. 

San Diego Unified Distance Learning FAQs can be found here. 

 

Media Contacts:

Samer Naji, Facilities Communications Supervisor, San Diego Unified, snaji@sandi.net 

Jamie Ries, Facilities Communications Liaison, San Diego Unified, jries@sandi.net 

Clare Conley, Senior Director at Corporate Communications, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., cconley@qti.qualcomm.com 

 

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NEWS RELEASE: San Diego Unified School District

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 NEWS RELEASE

 

California Legislators Reverse Education Cuts

San Diego Unified Prepares for Reopening in the Fall

 

June 16, 2020

San Diego -- California legislators passed a budget that reverses $15 billion in proposed cuts to education. San Diego Unified, the state's second-largest district, said the move clears the way for a reopening of its physical facilities in the fall. However, district leaders said additional action by the federal government will be required in order for schools to operate for the full school year.

 

"We appreciate the bold action taken by the Legislature to reverse all spending cuts contained in the May Budget Revision," said San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten. "We urge Governor Newsom to sign this budget and approve a final compromise that gives schools the funds we will need to open in a safe, responsible manner this fall."

 

San Diego Unified joined five large districts across the state to oppose the proposed education cuts in May, warning schools would need more funding -- not less -- to reopen safely this fall in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The district had urged the Legislature to reverse the cuts and offer additional funding to address both student learning loss and the cost of reopening safely. The budget passed by the Legislature includes all of those changes. While discussions are still ongoing for a final compromise, the Legislature's passage of a State Budget is encouraging and puts our values into practice by approving a budget that prioritizes our students.  

"With the action taken today, California has used every funding mechanism at our disposal," said Board President John Lee Evans. "Now, it is time for the federal government to do its fair share. The Covid-19 pandemic is a national emergency that warrants a national response. The federal government simply cannot leave an entire generation of school students to fend for themselves in the face of this growing tragedy."

 

San Diego Unified has joined with Los Angeles Unified and other districts in calling on the federal government to provide additional relief to offset the pressure created by the economic downtown. A copy of their joint letter is here.

Anyone wishing to watch the Board workshop on reopening for the fall in San Diego should tune in here.

 

Media Contact: Communications Director, Maureen Magee: (619) 381-7930.

 

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CORRECTION: Please Post Notices and Agendas

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·         Notice of Special Committee Meeting: Executive Board of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education – Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Committee Meeting Information: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cac-2019-20-executive-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Committee Special Meeting Agenda— Executive Board of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education – Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BQ8M7H566DA8     

·         Notice and Agenda for Special Closed Session Meeting: Board of Education – Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 6:00 p.m., via Zoom
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information: https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

Please Post Notices and Agendas

PLEASE NOTE:

 

·         Notice of Special Committee Meeting: Executive Board of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education – Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
Committee Meeting Information: https://www.sandiegounified.org/delac-2019-20-meeting-schedule-and-information

 

·         Committee Special Meeting Agenda— Executive Board of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for Special Education – Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 6:30 p.m., Zoom Webinar
BoardDocs Agenda Link: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BQ8M7H566DA8     

·         Notice and Agenda for Special Closed Session Meeting: Board of Education – Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 6:00 p.m., via Zoom
Open and Closed Session Meeting Information: https://www.sandiegounified.org/board-meeting-information

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

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