Dear SCUSD Families,

Please see the following updates about issues of importance to our district, including topics  that were discussed at the Sacramento City Unified School Board meeting on Thursday, March 3.

The district’s Board received an update regarding the status of the district’s vaccination or testing requirement resolution and the California Department of Public Health’s new school masking guidance. Here is an update on what was shared with the Board.

Vaccine requirement for students: 93.75% of Sacramento City Unified students have met the district’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement by submitting their vaccination status or registering to participate in routine COVID-19 testing. We will continue our outreach to the families of the 2,353 students that have not yet met this requirement. The purpose of the district’s vaccination requirement is to protect the health of students and staff across the district and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools and across our community, and our goal is 100% of students meeting this requirement.

Vaccine requirement for staff: As of March 3, 99% of district staff members have met the District’s vaccination requirement for staff by submitting their vaccination status or an approved exemption. SCUSD remains hopeful that 100% of employees will meet this requirement before March 11 when employees that have not met the requirement to submit their vaccination status or approved exemption will be placed on unpaid leave. Leading up to this date, district staff will continue to reach out to the remaining 32 employees that have not yet met the district’s vaccination requirement for staff.

Masking requirement: Sac City Unified is carefully reviewing the most recent guidance from the California Department of Public Health, and guidance from Sacramento County Public Health. While the state’s requirement for masks at all school sites will be lifted, effective March 12, each school district must make decisions regarding local mask requirements that are in the best interest of students, staff, and public health.

Masking at all school sites in Sac City Unified will remain a requirement for the time being while our district consults with Sacramento County Public Health, reviews CalOSHA emergency temporary standards, waits for CDPH to issue guidance on quarantine, examines insurance implications, and reviews the district’s policies, practices, procedures and standards. SCUSD will update District families about the district’s mask policy next week.

VACCINATION AND BOOSTER CLINICS

First, second or booster doses will be available to all those eligible at this week’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics that we will be hosting:

Friday, March 4

• Serna Center | 5735 47th Ave. | 4-7pm

Wednesday, March 9

• John Still K-8 | 2250 John Still Dr., Room M28 | 2-6pm

Thursday, March 10

• Luther Burbank High School | 3500 Florin Rd. | 2-6pm

Thursday, March 10

• Ethel I. Baker Elementary School | 5717 Laurine Way. | 3-6pm

Friday, March 11

• Serna Center | 5735 47th Ave. | 4-7pm

TAKE OUR SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY

In Sacramento City Unified School District, your input on how our schools are doing is important to us. We hope you will take a couple of minutes to give us feedback by completing our school climate survey. The survey will be open from February 28 to March 25. Positive school climate is important to us as we work towards equitable outcomes for all of our students. The social and emotional health of our students is a priority. Hearing from all members of our community on these issues is critical.

NOMINATIONS FOR 2022-2023 TEACHER OF THE YEAR CLOSE MARCH 9

The 2022-2023 California Teacher of the Year Program is still open. SCUSD is seeking nominations of prekindergarten through grade 12 teachers, including adult education teachers if they are providing instruction in the same curriculum as those who teach in elementary or secondary grades. Teachers who have some administrative responsibilities are also eligible; however, teaching must be their primary responsibility. All teachers who qualify must have at least seven years of teaching experience.

AWARDS

The District was very honored to receive two awards last week from the California Coalition for Adequate School Housing, or CASH, during their Leroy Greene Design and Planning Awards Luncheon.

The first award was an Award of Honor for the New Central Kitchen that was designed by HMC Architects. The design of the Central Kitchen received this award because it is an amazing building that will assist the District in providing more and better meal options for our students, including more locally sourced and unprocessed foods.

The Second award was the Award of Excellence in Master Planning for the Equity Based Master Plan the Board recently approved this past fall.

The jury noted in their selection that the project distinguishes itself by establishing a model for how to use equity to prioritize capital outlay projects. The approach used a rational, data informed and research based method to focus on underserved student groups and respond substantially to community concerns about addressing past inequitable institutional practices. The Ed Spec team was included in the master plan development to connect design strategies with LCAP goals, and jurors said this is a refreshing and thoughtful approach to integrating concerns about equity into school facilities through design and planning. This approach is replicable and should cause us to think about our approach to this subject.

Two students were nominated by school staff to receive ACSA Region 3’s Every Student Succeeding Award. Each year, ACSA recognizes students for overcoming the odds and achieving success. These students are:

Adamaris Perez, 12^th grade, McClatchy High School

Stephanie Soto-Medina, 6^th grade, Sequoia Elementary School

Adamaris and Stephanie, your academic achievement this year is an inspiration to your fellow students, and is celebrated by all who work at Sac City Unified.

Tu Moua Carroz, SCUSD Instructional Assistant Superintendent, was awarded The School Superintendents Association’s Outstanding Graduate Student Scholarship Award. She was one of the five recipients for the award. She is currently back in school pursuing a doctorate degree at UC Berkeley in their Graduate School of Education’s Leader for Equity and Democracy program. Our district will greatly benefit from her hard work and academic achievement when she completes this degree.

JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL HIRING EVENT FOR FOOD SERVICE ASSISTANTS

Thursday, March 17, 2022

SCUSD Nutrition Service Department is holding a virtual hiring event on Thursday, March 17, 2022 for Food Service Assistants. An interview is required for the event.

Schedule an interview in advance by calling 916-395-5600.