2 EDCAL June 17, 2019
News Briefs
California schools and district win
national Green Ribbon
One California school district
and four individual schools received
2019 U.S. Department of Education
Green Ribbon Schools and District
Sustainability Awards. California is the
only state with five honorees this year.
“Congratulations to these schools
and district for engaging kids to under-
stand and act on environmental issues,”
said State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tony Thurmond, in a press
release. “The great programs they’ve
created help students gain the knowl-
edge they need to lead the way on glob-
al-sized problems like climate change
and local challenges like water quality.”
California’s honorees are:
• Carrisa Plains Elementary School,
Atascadero Unified, San Luis Obispo
County.
• Eagle Rock Elementary School,
Los Angeles Unified, Los Angeles
County.
• Quail Lake Environmental
Charter, Sanger Unified, Fresno County.
• Rialto Unified School District, San
Bernardino County.
• St. James Academy (private) in
Solana Beach, San Diego County.
Fresno educator is alternative
school teacher of the year
Greg Barragan of the Fresno
County Superintendent of Schools has
been named the 2019 Juvenile Court,
Community, and Alternative Schools
Administrators of the California
( JCCASAC) Teacher of the Year.
Barragan, or Mr. B as his students
call him, started as a Career Technical
Instructor at the Fresno County
Court School in 2015 and launched
the school’s welding program. His
instruction and expertise have enabled
countless students to earn welding certi-
fications and embark on the pathway to
solid careers.
“Greg’s dedication, impact, and suc-
cess as a teacher is an example of what
happens when a student who may have
personal obstacles to overcome, is shown
that someone cares and supports them,”
said State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tony Thurmond.
Guidelines will help district officials
evaluate wildfire smoke school closures
Following the 2018 wildfire season and
harmful smoke that forced more than 1
million California students to miss school,
officials have developed new guidelines
to help school districts protect students’
health during poor air quality events.
The School Air Quality Activity
Recommendations are the result of several
months of collaboration between schools,
air districts, health experts, the California
Department of Education, elected officials
and other organizations, including ACSA.
“School districts have been forced to
make difficult, last-minute decisions on
whether to cancel classes, remain open or
modify school events with very little or no
scientific data at their fingertips,” said state
Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, who
announced the guidelines during a June 4
press conference.
Earlier this year, McGuire reached out
to ACSA and others to discuss the impact
of last year’s wildfire season on schools.
Both ACSA and the Senator heard from a
number of superintendents from through-
out Northern California who were faced
with the decision of whether to close
schools due to wildfire and smoke, which
can spread far beyond the site of the fire.
The 2018 fires in Butte County and
Ventura and Los Angeles counties caused
school closures in 180 districts. More than
1 million students weren’t at school during
one week in November due to the impacts
of the wildfires, according to figures com-
piled by CALmatters.
“The bottom line for us: We want
kids in school. And we want them there
safely,” said Mike Walsh, Butte County
Board of Education Trustee and immediate
past-President of California School Boards
Association.
During the 2018 wildfires, health offi-
cials warned that children, especially those
with asthma, may suffer the most due to
inhaling particulate matter from smoke.
Teachers were told to hold recess indoors
and keep doors and windows closed.
School officials had to weigh the poten-
tial harms to students staying home from
school, which included students not having
access to free and reduced-price meals or
working parents having to find alternate
childcare. Some districts made the decision
State Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, addresses the media June 4 to unveil new guidelines that will help
school districts evaluate which school activities they should modify or cancel due to wildfire smoke.
to close schools, even though neighboring
districts remained open.
The School Air Quality Activity
Recommendations advise educators on
limiting certain activities, or moving them
indoors, based upon the air quality. These
activities, which include recess, P.E. and
athletic practice, should also be limited for
sensitive individuals with asthma or heart/
lung conditions.
The guidelines suggest that districts
consider closing schools when air quality
reaches level 5, the worst level.
Before closing a school, the guidelines
advise districts to consider air quality
alongside several other factors, including
impacts on student safety, impacts on
socioeconomically disadvantaged families,
and instructional time.
Officials said school districts should
work with their local air districts to cus-
tomize the levels to correspond with local
indicators, such as the Air Quality Index.
(To find your local air district, visit www.
arb.ca.gov/app/dislookup/dislookup.php.)
“Broadly speaking, the science and
health knowledge and experience in these
areas are beyond our scope to collect and to
analyze,” said Socorro Shiels, superinten-
dent of Sonoma Valley USD, in response
to the new guidelines. “We need direction
by the state with support from experts in
the air quality and children’s health fields
to know what to do. Our community is
relying on their intervention and expertise
to keep us safe.”
Officials stressed that the new tool is
not a mandate, nor would it supersede dis-
tricts that have existing policies to respond
to poor air quality events.
Officials said the guidelines would
be sent to districts in the coming weeks.
Because of the increased frequency and
severity of wildfires in California, districts
without guidelines are encouraged to
review the documents and start working
on adopting policies in advance of the new
school year.
“I am grateful to Sen. McGuire and the
state for broad changes regarding air qual-
ity and school closure,” said Debra Kubin,
superintendent of Ukiah USD. “It is
important to have a statewide set of stan-
dards developed by experts in air quality to
guide our schools in California so we can
be consistent in our approach and ensure
the safety and health of our students and
staff.”
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