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PAUSD Weekly Update - September 4, 2026

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PAUSD Weekly Update - September 4, 2026

From the Office of the Superintendent

Board Agenda Calendar

Superintendent Glass' Message . . .

Youth Mental Health

This week's joint City/Schools Liaison Committee meeting included discussion of a report on youth mental health and suicide prevention prepared by the JED Foundation and commissioned by the City of Palo Alto. The report focuses on city efforts. It also examines connections with our schools and draws on survey and focus group data from PAUSD students.

The district and Project Safety Net prepared a companion overview of current efforts already underway across the city, the district, and PSN.

The Committee approved a recommendation that now goes to the City Council and to the Board of Education. If both bodies adopt it, the city and the district would map current efforts against the report's recommendations to identify our capacities and our gaps.

I told the Committee the district will be an engaged partner in this work, alongside the community and mental health organizations already supporting our students. This community and this district have invested substantially in this area over many years. That investment deserves an honest look at what is working, and openness to approaches we have not tried.

Support is available now, and before a crisis. These resources are for anyone who is struggling and for anyone worried about a friend or family member:

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org

  • Crisis Text Line — text “HOME” to 741741

  • Santa Clara County Mobile Crisis Response (Pacific Clinics) — 408-379-9085

During the school day, your school counselor or site wellness staff can help connect your family to support. Your school office can connect you.

Superintendent’s Community listening survey

My entry plan outlined a comprehensive listening and outreach effort to help me understand the context in Palo Alto and to guide our future work. I have met with many individuals and groups since July, and this next step widens that effort.

I am asking for your input through a brief open-ended survey. It has three questions:

  • What is working in PAUSD that we should protect?

  • What is most urgently in need of our attention?

  • What do you hope Palo Alto Unified Schools will be known for in five years?

Information about listening sessions will follow. I read these responses myself and look forward to hearing from you.

Panorama Family and Staff Surveys Coming Soon

Next week, PAUSD families and staff will have the opportunity to share their experiences about our school community. Your feedback helps ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging and connection across our campuses.

Families will receive a survey asking for their perspective on their child’s experiences, school safety, campus climate, and family-staff relationships. Responses help us understand how welcomed and supported students and families feel, which guide our ongoing efforts to create an inclusive community. Staff will be invited to share their thoughts about their well-being, sense of belonging, and work and school climate. Hearing directly from staff is essential to understanding our school culture and finding ways to strengthen a positive, safe, and supportive environment for all.

Families will receive the survey link from their school principal next week. The survey will be open September 9-September 25. We look forward to hearing from you!

💚Suicide Prevention Month: Creating a Community of Care

September is Suicide Prevention Month, an essential time to open honest conversations, destigmatize mental health challenges, and strengthen our suicide prevention safety net across PAUSD. Supporting student mental health and safety remains a core commitment of the PAUSD Promise. This year, we are putting actionable, skill-based suicide prevention tools directly into the hands of our students and staff.

Teen Mental Health First Aid

In August, school staff completed Youth Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based training that teaches adults how to recognize and respond to youth mental health challenges. This staff training aligns directly with Teen Mental Health First Aid, ensuring adults and students share a universal language and framework across our campuses.

Building on that foundation, our student rollout of Teen Mental Health First Aid is well underway. Gunn High School juniors are halfway through their classes, Palo Alto Middle College began its rollout this week for grades 10-12, and students in our Bridges program will start in less than two weeks.

This week, our Mental Health & Wellness team guided students through hands-on learning as they created posters and presented the  ROLE Action Plan to their peers:

  • Recognize the warning signs of distress or suicidal thoughts.

  • Open a supportive, non-judgmental conversation.

  • Link your friend to a trusted adult or professional resource.

  • Encourage them to get support and stay connected.

Teen Mental Health First Aid emphasizes that students taking care of their own mental health is just as important as helping others. Students learn healthy boundaries, self-care practices, and how to safely connect a peer to a trusted adult without taking on the role of a therapist.

Suicide Awareness & Prevention Activities and Student Outreach

Throughout September, school sites are engaging students with activities focused on suicide awareness/prevention, connection, and wellness:

  • Middle Schools: Hosting connection activities including "Affirmation Bracelets" and "Letters to Self" with allcove.

  • High Schools: Holding student- and staff-led sessions, including "Debunking Suicide" presentations and "You Matter" affirmation walls.

  • Pop-Ups & Outreach: Wellness centers are hosting campus pop-ups with National Alliance on Mental Illness partnerships, ribbon distribution, and World Suicide Prevention Day tabling, alongside weekly messaging on campus screens and student channels.

October Plans & Next Steps

  • Middle Schools & Palo Alto High School: Launching  Be Sensitive, Be Brave for Suicide Prevention training for students and staff in October.

  • Elementary Staff: Learning about trauma-informed suicide prevention in October.

  • Families: Free Youth Mental Health First Aid training for PAUSD families will be scheduled in November.

Building a unified network of care across students, staff, and families ensures that no one in our community has to navigate mental health challenges alone. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students safe, supported, and connected.

District & Community Resources

 

Sustainability Update

HVAC Update

We are excited to share some wonderful progress about how our campuses are becoming more sustainable! As part of our commitment to the City of Palo Alto’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2030, our PAUSD Facilities team has been hard at work upgrading our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Because these systems often use the most energy on school campuses, electrifying them is a major step toward reducing our carbon footprint. 

Our dedicated Facilities team, led by Eric Holm, has already successfully electrified HVAC systems at 90% of our schools. We are on track to reach 100% completion by 2027! These upgrades bring immediate benefits to our daily school life by adding cooling, improving the indoor air quality in our classrooms, and lowering our GHG emissions. 

 

How You Can Help

 

To make the most of these new systems, we need your help! You can support our sustainability efforts with one simple action:

Please keep doors and windows closed whenever the heating or cooling is running.  

 

This simple habit saves our schools money, reduces strain on our new equipment, lowers energy use, and keeps our classrooms at the perfect temperature. Thank you for working with us to keep our campuses healthy, safe, and eco-friendly for all of our students!

 

Student Nutrition Services Update

Delicious, organic fruit from Frog Hollow Farm is officially being served on school lunches at all grade levels! The Student Nutrition Service Department is incredibly proud to bring these legendary, tree-ripened stone fruits and seasonal treats straight from the farm to your child’s cafeteria tray. However, we need your help at home to solve a quick cafeteria puzzle. While our students are excited about the program, we are noticing a lot of this premium, hand-picked fruit ending up untouched in our cafeteria “Share Basket”. We want to ensure this beautiful produce gets eaten and enjoyed rather than going to waste!

 

How You Can Help Us Stop Food Waste:

 

Talk About the Taste: Frog Hollow Farm leaves their fruit on the tree longer so it is

naturally sweeter and juicier than standard store-bought fruit. Remind your child that it

tastes amazing!

Normalize Imperfections: Because this fruit is 100% organic and regeneratively grown, a

 

piece might look a little unique or have a natural freckle. Let your child know that

external quirks mean it was grown naturally and safely without chemical sprays!

Encourage a Bite: Ask your child to give the fruit a try during lunch instead of

 

immediately placing it in the share basket.

By eating this fruit, our students get an incredible, vitamin-packed energy boost, and we fully

 

honor the hard work of our local farmers. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our kids

healthy and reduce food waste!

Thoughtful and Intentional Technology Use

A Tech Usage Ad Hoc Committee is being planned to support thoughtful and intentional conversations around technology use across the District. More information about the committee’s purpose, membership, and next steps will be shared in the next week or two.

Universal K-2 Reading Difficulty Screener

 

All K-2 Caregivers received information via Parent Square regarding the Universal K-2 Reading Difficulty Risk Screener. Please check Parent Square if you have not read this message. 

As part of our commitment to student success and in alignment with the PAUSD Promise Literacy Goal, we will be screening all kindergarten through second-grade students for potential reading difficulties. This screening is also required by California Education Code Section 53008, which focuses on early identification of reading risks. We will be using the  Multitudes tool for this process.

Why We Screen

This universal screening is a crucial first step in understanding a child's reading development. The results do not diagnose a disability but provide valuable information to help us identify students who might benefit from early intervention or enrichment. Our goal is to ensure every student receives timely and effective support tailored to their specific needs.

Opting Out

Caregivers have the right to opt their child out of this screening. If you choose to do so, please complete and submit the opt-out form by  September 25, 2026.

Please be aware that opting out may delay our ability to identify your child's need for timely reading support. Without this screening data, we may postpone additional instructional support to address their reading needs.

Key Dates, First & Second Grade

  •  Screening Window: October 5, 2026 - October 29, 2026

  •  Opt-Out Due Date: September 25, 2026

  •  Results Available By: November 20, 2026

Key Dates, Kindergarten

  •  Screening Window: January 11, 2027 - February 5, 2027

  •  Opt-Out Due Date: January 8, 2027

  •  Results Available By: March 5, 2027

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