Santa Clara County School Superintendents’ Response To State Leaders’ Recommendation

Press release from the Gilroy Unified School District:

Apr 1 2020

Dear Santa Clara County School Communities,

Thank you for your dedication as we continue to navigate the regional and state shelter-at-home order for the safety and well-being of our students and families. The unified effort as we persist through these unprecedented and challenging times together has been nothing short of remarkable.

Governor Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond have announced that school campuses in California will not be able to reopen this school year. To be clear, the 2019-2020 school year has not ended. The remainder of the school year now transitions from in-person classroom instruction to instruction and support for students through distance learning options as described by the California Department of Education (CDE).

We will continue to navigate our way through this pandemic locally with the guidance of Dr. Sara Cody and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department so that we can ensure the health and safety of our students and their families as well as for our staff.

We acknowledge that distance learning comes with its own set of challenges, and we commit to provide students, families and educators with ongoing support. As all of our districts further implement distance learning options and academic strategies, the social and emotional well-being of all of our students is of utmost importance to us. We are working to find ways to stay connected which will continue to help us learn together and celebrate important milestones. In the coming weeks, each of our districts will provide families with information regarding how grades, graduation, transcripts, scholarships, summer school, and continued distance learning instruction will be handled.

Our community is strong, and together we will overcome the negative impact of these life-changing events. When school sites re-open, we will enthusiastically welcome back our students, staff, and families to our campuses. In the meantime, thank you for your patience, flexibility, and understanding.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mary Ann Dewan

County Superintendent of Schools

Santa Clara County Office of Education

Dr. Hilaria Bauer

Superintendent

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District

Dr. Roxane Fuentes

Superintendent

Berryessa Union

School District

Dr. Carrie Andrews

Superintendent

Cambrian School District

Dr. Shelly Viramontez

Superintendent

Campbell Union SD

Dr. Robert Bravo

Superintendent

Campbell Union High

School District

Dr. Craig Baker

Superintendent

Cupertino Union School District

Chris D. Funk

Superintendent

East Side Union High School District

Dr. Emy Flores

Superintendent

Evergreen School District

Juan Cruz

Superintendent

Franklin-McKinley School District

Polly Bove

Superintendent

Fremont Union High School District

Dr. Deborah A. Flores

Superintendent

Gilroy Unified School District

Dr. Sean Joyce

Superintendent

Lakeside Joint School District

Lisa Fraser

Superintendent

Loma Prieta Joint Union School District

Jeffrey Baier

Superintendent

Los Altos School District

Paul Johnson

Superintendent

Los Gatos Union School District

Dr. Michael Grove

Superintendent

Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District

Edith Mourtos

Interim Superintendent

Luther Burbank School District

Alyssa Lynch

Superintendent

Metropolitan Education District

Cheryl Jordan

Superintendent

Milpitas Unified School District

Mary Kay Going

Superintendent

Moreland School District

Steve Betando

Superintendent

Morgan Hill Unified School District

Mariann Engle

Superintendent

Mount Pleasant Elementary School District

Dr. Ayindé Rudolph

Superintendent

Mountain View Whisman

School District

Dr. Nellie Meyer

Superintendent

Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District

José Manzo

Superintendent

Oak Grove School District

Dr. Wendy Gudalewicz

Superintendent

Orchard School District

Dr. Donald Austin

Superintendent

Palo Alto Unified School District

Nancy Albarrán

Superintendent

San José Unified School District

Dr. Stella Kemp

Superintendent

Santa Clara Unified School District

Dr. Kenneth Geisick

Superintendent

Saratoga Union School District

Dr. Benjamin Picard

Superintendent

Sunnyvale School District

Denise Coleman

Superintendent

Union School District

This press release was produced by the Gilroy Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.