Weekly Superintendent’s Update to Ukiah Unified Families - April 2, 2020
Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work to provide meals for our students and provide the best learning environment possible through remote learning! As a parent of three Ukiah Unified School District students, I know how difficult it is to support the academic needs of kids with the stresses that are occurring in our daily lives.
Food Delivery for April 3, 2020
Up until Monday of this week, we were serving approximately 2,000 students per day. On Monday, we served 3,836 students, and over 57,000 meals! Unfortunately, we had some reports of individuals taking advantage of our system by taking more than their share of food for their children. We have made some changes to our program and appreciate your support as we implement these changes.
Tomorrow, Friday, April 3, we will be serving meals at 6 Ukiah Unified schools including Ukiah High School, Oak Manor, Eagle Peak, Grace Hudson, Yokayo, and Pomolita, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We will also be delivering meals by bus. Please visit www.uusd.net and click on the link next to the school bus to see delivery times and places. Due to refrigeration requirements with the Health Department, we are unable to have the same menus that are being delivered on our bus routes as are being served at our in town locations. Also, as teams have been preparing bags of food all week based on the items available, the food will vary from site to site and bus route to bus route. If you can try as much as possible to go to the same location each time, it helps us plan for how much food is needed at each location.
We will now be requiring those who receive meals to have proof that their child resides in our community such as a report card, student ID, letter or email from a school, etc. If children are present, no proof is needed. Additionally, we will be marking tires as cars drive through our meal pickup locations to know who has picked up meals. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we put some safeguards in place to ensure we are able to feed all of the children in our community. We urge you to take only what is needed for your children.
We have had some problems receiving all of the food we have ordered but if our numbers hold from this week’s service, we will be able to handle the count tomorrow. We are grateful to the offices of Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Wood for their assistance in helping us receive our food deliveries as ordered in the future.
Anyone who will be picking up meals must remember that social distancing is critical! Please keep at least 6 feet between yourself and other individuals.
Prior to the end of Spring Break, we will inform you about meal service after Spring Break.
Governor Newsom’s April 1, 2020, Press Conference and Expectations for Schools
Yesterday in a press conference, Governor Gavin Newsom, with the backing of Superintendent of Schools, Tony Thurmond, shared the expectation that all school districts in California continue distance learning and keep school facilities closed to on-site instruction through the remainder of this school year.
Ukiah Unified will follow the Governor's recommendation and plan for continued closure of facilities through the end of the school year so that our families can plan accordingly. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and consult with Public Health, and should circumstances allow for an earlier return to school, we will make that decision when it is safe for students to return to on-site learning.
This is a situation that changes daily, and I know how hard it is on our families and staff. Our main focus is on the health and well-being of our students and staff which includes as much academic routine and stability as possible.
I want to assure you that we continue to have daily discussions about our remote learning program, internet connectivity, grading practices, and graduation and promotion. We will communicate with staff and families about any changes that have been made in any of these areas.
Spring Break Closure
All of our offices and the Ukiah Unified School District Service Center are closed during Spring Break. Please note that we are not giving school assignments over the break. We hope you are able to get some rest and some family time without the stress of academics.
Social Distancing
Please make sure and support the Mendocino County Public Health Officer’s order. We are designing our meal program and academic program based on social distancing practices. Thank you in advance for supporting social distancing practices when you interact with us for meal pickup and academic support.
Thank you so much for your continued support of your children and our staff. I will be communicating with our families weekly during this remote learning period.