National Conflict Resolution Center Reviews the “One San Dieguito” Initiative
New Principal, Communications Directors, and Director of Community Resolution and Outreach (Ombudsman) Announced
Ethnic Literature Class Approved, But Will Not Run
Torrey Pines Pool CEQA Exemption Application Approved
National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) Reviews the “One San Dieguito” Initiative
Earlier in the year the District contracted with the NCRC to implement the “One San Dieguito” initiative. This is essentially a series of training sessions, primarily for staff and students, designed to provide individuals with tools to help avoid incidents of harm and to appropriately respond to incidents when they occur.
Over 300 students have participated in this training over the past few months across 14 separate sessions. The training for students includes how to listen respectfully, create spaces of belonging, use inclusive language, and de-escalate situations.
Our NCRC Consultant presented the plan for future training, which will include engagement with the Board and the broader community.
You can review the presentation materials here: https://www.sduhsd.net/.../One-San-Dieguito-Slide-Deck.pdf
You can watch the presentation here beginning at the 4:18:30 mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lmNipE3jTU
New Principal, Communications Coordinators, and Director of Community Resolution and Outreach Announced
Four new hires were announced during the meeting.
Mr. San Juan Mendoza has been appointed as the new Principal at Diegueno Middle School. He will be joining at the beginning of the next school year, July 1, 2024.
Two new communications coordinators were announced, Edwin Mendoza and Rachel Shoonmaker. Staffing these roles will improve communication between the District and the community. In particular, I look forward to the District using its website to dramatically increase transparency in all areas of our operations. Members of the community should be able to easily find most of the information they would like to see directly from our website.
The District also announced the appointment of Evelin Medina as the Director of Community Resolution and Outreach (our Ombudsman). This desperately needed appointment comes over two years after the Board approved the position. Parents need a resource who will be an advocate to help them navigate issues with the District or their child’s school. This job will be challenging, and I plan to pay close attention to how well it is working.
Ethnic Literature Class Approved, But Will Not Run
There was a robust and somewhat confusing discussion around the offering of an elective class titled “Ethnic Literature”.
Several years ago, I asked if the Board has the authority for the District’s academic curriculum offerings. The answer was yes (of course, always following all applicable laws), BUT the District ceded its authority for creation of site-based course pilots to the teachers and staff as part of the teachers union contract. Even if the Board objected to a specific pilot class, the administration could greenlight it anyway.
The existing process allows for a pilot course to run for two years, after which, if the administration would like to add the course to the permanent course offering list, it would require both public input and then final approval by the Board. After the two-year pilot process for Ethnic Literature at the San Dieguito Academy, the course was brought before the Board for potential approval in April of 2023.
Unfortunately, the only material brought forth at that meeting regarding Ethnic Literature was a short, four-sentence course description. The administration did not provide the Board with a detailed syllabus or course scope. They also chose not to provide a list of any of the learning objectives, the units that would be taught, or any of the instructional materials to be used in the class. The District had this material in its possession, provided it to the University of California system, and obtained approval for credit for the course by the University of California system.
When this course came back to the Board for approval at this meeting, we were not provided with the recommended course syllabus, course scope, or any recommended instructional materials until just two days before this current meeting. When I compared what was published for this board agenda item to what was supplied to the UC Course Approval system, the two were not the same even though it is the same course. The UC document contained much more detail and included controversial topics and materials that many in our community would find objectionable.
To say the least, this is not good governance. We should not be hiding what is being taught in our classrooms because some people might find it objectionable. We are a public agency funded by taxpayers, and everything we teach should be publicly available to members of our community. Superintendent Staffieri understands that we need to improve our processes and public transparency, and we will be discussing this at the Board level at future Board meetings.
In this meeting, the Board approved adding Ethnic Literature to the course curriculum, but this approval doesn’t mean much. The administration informed the Board that this course will not run in the 2024-25 year due to a lack of demand from students. This will be the second year in a row that the course will not run due to a lack of demand. Our rules dictate that if an existing course does not run for two consecutive years it is removed from the course offerings. If staff wanted to bring this course back to offer it in a future year, it must go through the piloting process again, although this time with greater clarity and public transparency.
Finally, as a reminder, the District must offer the equivalent of a semester class of “Ethnic Studies” beginning in the 2025-26 school year. This will make an Ethnic Literature class redundant, so I don’t expect the administration to re-pilot this class. I am confident that under the leadership of Superintendent Staffieri we will follow a transparent course adoption process for Ethnic Studies.
You can watch the discussion of Ethnic Literature here beginning at the 5:58:30 mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lmNipE3jTU
Torrey Pines Pool CEQA Exemption Application Approved
As the District moves forward to complete the development and begin construction of the Aquatic Center at Torrey Pines High School, we must obtain several permits and approvals, one of which is complying with the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA.
The good news is that this project qualifies for an exemption from a maximum environmental review. The project is, after all, being built on land that has already been reviewed and there will be no new important effects on the environment.
The Board approved the application for this exemption, so the project remains on track, but not without controversy. The final vote was 4-1, with Trustee Young voting no. It seems that her primary objection was possible public confusion that Board approval of the project means that, no matter how the construction bids come back in the coming months, the District is 100% committed to building the pool. That is not true. By law, construction cannot commence until the Board approves the final contract to build the Aquatic Center with the chosen construction company. Both Board President Viskanta and Superintendent Staffieri reassured the Board that this CEQA approval is perfectly standard and does not commit the Board to signing any construction contract. You can see this part of the meeting at this link, starting at time stamp 6:58:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lmNipE3jTU
In any case, the TPHS Aquatic Center remains on track to begin construction this summer.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for May 16.