Superintendent's Update - February 13, 2026
Superintendent's Update - February 13, 2026
From the Office of the Superintendent
Board Agenda Calendar
View Calendar of Board Items 2025-26
PAUSD & CHC Host Webinar
On Monday evening, PAUSD and the Children’s Health Council (CHC) hosted a compassionate and informative webinar for the PAUSD community, "How to Talk With Your Teen About Suicide," presented by Dr. Shreya Lakhan-Pal. In light of our recent loss of one of our students, the session focused on supporting teens through open, honest, and caring conversations about mental health and suicide.
The webinar emphasized that talking about suicide does not increase risk; instead, thoughtful conversations can create safety, reduce misinformation, foster connection, and even save lives. Parents learned strategies for providing support, modeling healthy coping, recognizing warning signs, and connecting teens to resources when needed.
The goal was to help parents feel comfortable and confident in approaching these sensitive topics with teens, promoting trust, understanding, and ongoing dialogue.
The slides and recording are now available here:
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Recording: How to Talk to Your Teen About Suicide.mp4
We hope this event was supportive, and we look forward to additional opportunities for education and connection within our community.
Children’s Health Council Podcast Episodes:
SUICIDE & SELF-HARM
Youth Suicide Prevention: Conversations, Community & Care
Teen Suicide: What Parents Need to Know
COMMUNICATION
Mindful Words: DBT for Communication
Balancing Well-Being with Academic Demands
How to Talk with Teens About Mental Health
How to Connect with Your Teen: Communicating with Curiosity and Compassion
GENDER IDENTITY
Listening to Learn: Secondary Student Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence
Secondary Artificial Intelligence (AI) lead teachers have been conducting listening sessions with middle and high school students, as previously discussed at the October 14th Board meeting. These sessions have allowed students to share their excitement and concerns regarding the topic of AI with their peers and teachers. We want to thank each of our AI lead teachers who organized and facilitated these sessions as well as the 137 students who have thoughtfully participated in sessions so far!
Serve & Celebrate Others: 10 years of Creativity Kits
Over 7,897 kits have been created this year to serve our TK - 5th grade students with Career Technical Education (CTE) curiosity through hands-on, high-engagement learning to develop career awareness. Building on the success of serving over 7,897 kits through the Innovation's Creativity Cart program, we are launching a new pilot program in Spring 2026: Innovation Design Labs. This pilot will run at Hoover Elementary and Duveneck Elementary. The Innovation Design Lab offers a structured environment for career pathway-focused exploration and Design Thinking, integrating both Visual Arts and Career Technical Education (CTE). Students participating in the pilot will engage in a 4-week cycle of career-focused lessons and a culminating design challenge.
