Virtual Meeting
The September 16, 2020 meeting of the Board of Education began with the following announcements out of Closed Session
- The Board took action on a Level IV Complaint Appeal to accept the Panel’s recommendation and decision sustaining the Superintendent’s findings
- The Board took action to approve a Resignation Agreement and Release of All Claims between Fresno Unified School District and an Employee
Next, Alexis Gamino and Jade Johannes, SAB representative from Hoover High School, shared that elections are taking place for the school via Teams Forms in the next weeks, students are signing up for clubs, and making plans to start a community drive for victims of the Creek fire. Students also invited board member to join them for one of their fun online live lunch activities. SAB representatives thanked their principal Rebecca Wheeler, vice principal Erica Jimenez and interim CCD Razmik Cañas for putting extra hours and making sure all students have had successful transition to online learning.
The School Student Ambassadors from Ahwahenee Middle School also shared what they love about Ahwahnee Middle School.
Next, Superintendent Nelson provided a brief report to the Board of Education including:
- Superintendent started by taking a moment to honor and recognize the start of the Hispanic Heritage Month, which started on September 15, and Mexican Independence Day. National Hispanic Heritage Month traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latinx Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. Today marks the day in 1810 that Miguel Hidalgo, the namesake of Hidalgo elementary, called for Mexico’s Independence from Spain. Happy Independence Day to our Mexican Fresno Unified Family Members and I encourage all of the Fresno Unified Family to take this month to dig deeper into Hispanic and Latinx history and heritage.
- Next, the Superintendent recognized that September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or background. Every year thousands of individuals die by suicide, leaving behind their friends and family members to navigate the tragedy of loss. It is important that we prioritize suicide prevention and mental health especially in this time of uncertainty and we all need to find ways to connect and support each other. In efforts to support our students and families we have a team in Fresno Unified of School Psychologist and School Social Workers who are providing prevention information and training to our students and staff about suicide this month as we continue providing ongoing crisis support and interventions during and after tragedy. Our district has also partnered with Gaggle which is a safety management tool analyzing data 24 hours per day, 7 days per week with trained safety experts who review content such as suicide and informs the district of any comments that draw concern.
- Superintendent Nelson reminded everyone to please complete the 2020 Census. The Census must be completed by the end of September and it can be completed online, by phone, or by working with a Census worker who comes to your door. Our community cannot afford to miss the opportunity to ensure our community is properly represented.
- Superintendent also announced that last week, our partners though Parent University kicked off their first week of Parent Learning virtual workshops. We were thrilled to see the great response from our families. We had over 220 parents join these sessions on Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and we had over 4,500 parents participating through Facebook Live in English, Spanish and Hmong. Utilizing Facebook Live is a new tool for our partners and we are very happy to provide this option to our parents especially as we are all doing our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. There is still time to join our fall cohorts of parent learning so head over to parentu.fresnounified.org for more information.
- Superintendent stated that the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative invites staff to participate in a watch party to continue our cultural proficiency journey. Part 1 is October 1, where we will watch the documentary PushOut: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools. Part 2 is on October 8, where we will discuss the movie on Microsoft Teams. All employees are invited for the Multicultural Quarter 1 Event. Registration is required for an invitation with details. The registration deadline is Thursday, September 17. Find the invitation with information to RSVP in your most recent issue of the Employee Zone Newsletter.
- Superintendent Nelson shared that las week we announced our Virtual Innovation Program available to all grade levels. You can watch this video with more information about the program.
- Last, Superintendent Nelson shared that we launched the I Pledge campaign this week. Collectively, we want to pledge to do our part to support students trough distance learning and to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you haven’t already, make sure you head to fresnounified.org/news/pledge to submit your pledge.
Next, the Board of Education took the following action on the below consent agenda items:
- Approved Personnel List
- Approved Minutes from Prior Meeting
- Approved NAVEX Global Service Agreement for Equity and Inclusion
- Approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement with First Student, Inc. for Pupil Transportation Services – Special Education Programs
- Approved Proposed Revisions for Board Policy and Exhibit
BP 6161.1 Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials
E 9270 Conflict of Interest – Statement of Economic Form 700
Next, the Board of Education discussed the below conference/discussion agenda items:
- Held Public Hearing and Adopted Resolution in the Matter of Sufficiency of Instructional Materials to Comply with the Requirements of Education Code Section 60119
- Discussed and Adopted Fresno Unified School District’s Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan
- Presented and Discussed Strategic Initiatives to Enhance Learning During the 2020/21 School Year
- Received, Presented and Discussed Constituent Services Reporting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Education will be a teleconference meeting on Wednesday, October 07, 2020. Complete minutes and agendas are available online at https://board.fresnounified.org