Superintendent's Update - May 27, 2022

BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA CALENDAR

There are only two remaining meetings left of the Board of Education this year before returning in August. The calendar can be found HERE.

TEXAS TRAGEDY

Most people are familiar with the tragic school shooting in Texas earlier this week. We asked our sites to communicate with families and students in age-appropriate ways to process the event and media coverage.

As your superintendent, I am committed to maintaining the safety of our students and staff. I am also slow to react in the moment to national events. This simply means that we are evaluating everything related to school safety methodically. On the heels of something so horrific, there are calls for a variety of immediate actions. It is my experience that quick or symbolic responses come with unintended consequences or limited impact.

I have spent this week with team members visiting sites to evaluate our sites from the curbs to the back fences. There is no single answer to prevent what we just saw take place in Texas. We have invested heavily in some of the best security cameras in the industry. We have alert systems in place to help us get help to students in need. Students often share concerns about their peers that lead to good outcomes. Our sites will receive some targeted fencing to make desired entry points more obvious. There are a lot of things we can do to improve the safety of our sites and each will be considered heading into next year.

HEADING INTO THE LAST WEEK

We are there! No matter what transition is coming up, we will have something to celebrate in about a week. For some, it’s graduation. Others will celebrate retirements. Kids will change grade levels or schools. Employees will have milestones for various reasons. Regardless, it is the end of a chapter.

I hope everyone can enjoy the moment and reflect on the good times. It’s also an appropriate point to celebrate and thank the people closest to all of us. Whether you are a student, parent, or member of the PAUSD team, this is the week to take a breath and reflect. Congratulations!