The following comments were submitted on speaker cards by parents in the community and were shared with the Board via e-mail.
Cassandra Anderson is a parent of four children, and is opposed to the calendar change; she feels the District is facing too make changes without reviewing how the changes are impacting students. She asks that the process be slowed down.
Kerry Smith does not support the calendar change. She asks the Board to address student stress in its entirety by taking the time to understand the issues and develop programs and policies that are backed …show more content…
Kathi Samec does not support the calendar change, she agrees with the other parents and also notes that the district is not an island and the entire valley will need to change at the same time.
Erika Burns-Green is concerned with the school lunches and would like to see rice krispy treats and ice cream taken off the menu. She would like fresh food and healthier options.
Kelley Franceschi works for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation which also meets the minimum nutrition standards set by the USDA. She feels our children deserve better than prison food, and that our community tries to exceed expectations in all areas including nutrition.
Suzanne Brock is shocked by the school lunches and feels that the quality of food should match the quality of education. She supports Choice Lunches and she likes the idea of being able to order the food and feels there would be minimal waste.
Amber Hamblin does not support he calendar change, she feels it has been done in haste and is not in the best interest of the …show more content…
She would like the District to take advantage of the programs available to improve the food.
Laura Hennon teacher at Alamo Elementary believes that the lunches being served are not good and would like to see a change to the school lunch program that is healthy and accessible to both children and adults.
The Board members had a lengthy discussion on the proposed calendar change noting that as they considered the change they were looking at what is best for kids. The main goal of the calendar change has been to move finals prior to winter break to provide a stress free winter break for students and staff. The Board members also shared from their own personal experiences the relief of having finals completed, when they were in college, prior to the holiday break. Board member Jewett noted his concern that we were substituting one stress for another, but after discussions with administrators he learned that the school activities can be moved prior to the holidays. He is concerned with the timing of spring finals and would like staff to review. The board discussed that CASSPP testing has a 7 week window and is for 11th graders and that AP exams can’t be moved as they are a national test. Board member Hurd noted that Administrators can look at what AP test students are taking and organize CASSPP testing accordingly. Board member Hurd also noted that the