From a message to the school community on Thursday, Mar. 19 from Supt. Randy Booker:
School Site Facilities Closure and Student Dismissal Extended
- The District held a special Board of Education meeting today (click here to watch the recording), Thursday, March 19th – 3:00pm where they unanimously passed Resolution 20-2019-20 – Emergency Actions by the Superintendent of Schools.
- With this authorization, I have decided to extend Piedmont Unified’s School Site Facilities Closure and Student Dismissal through April 7, 2020 (to coincide with the current shelter-in-place).
- As we progress over the next week or two, we will look to see if the current shelter-in-place is extended by the Public Health Department. If so, it may affect our scheduled Spring Break (April 13th-17th). I will communicate if our Spring Break dates change.
Distance-Learning
- Our educators are working extremely hard to develop and deliver distance-learning opportunities for our students. It was just a few days ago when the Board of Education voted to close schools and dismiss students, and much has changed since then. At first we planned for a 2-week closure. Planning for two weeks is extremely different than planning for an extended period of time.
- Our educators will need more time and opportunity to collaborate (virtually) and build-out virtual lessons and learning experiences. These experiences will vary greatly from elementary to middle to our high schools. We are committed to supporting our educators on this journey and I want to ask us all to be patient as our teachers and staff balance family and work responsibilities during this time of crisis.
- Teachers and administrators’ email inboxes are overwhelmed with an abundance of suggestions and products for distance-learning solutions, both from the private and public sectors. We will progress in our development and delivery of distance-learning plans by researching appropriate technology tools and delivery strategies, provide the needed training and professional learning to teachers and staff, and collaborate with our educational professionals on how best to help students and families during this challenging time. School site administrators and teachers will provide families with progress updates along the way.
Update from Gov. Newsom
Governor Newsom just announced sobering news as health officials expect 56% of Californians will become infected in the next 8 weeks. This fight will required a unified front, so please adhere to the shelter-in-place protocols as set forth by the Alameda County Public Health Department. This means that Witter Field and all of our elementary playgrounds and campuses are CLOSED to the public.