IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT FEW DAYS FOR PARENTS AND KIDS ATTENDING POWER A UNIFIED SCHOOL. THEY'RE BEING
ASKED TO DECIDE WHETHER TO SEND
THEIR CHILDREN BACK TO CLASS IN
PERSON. SHOULD THE COUNTY BE
OFF THE TWO WEEK WATCH LIST TO
DO VIRTUAL LEARNING OR IF
THEY'LL BE DOING HOMESCHOOLING?
I JUST FILLED OUT THE FAMILY
COMMITMENT FORM FOR MY THREE
KIDS. I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UPCOMING
SCHOOL YEAR SO LET'S GET SOME
ANSWERS FROM SUPERINTENDENT OF
POWER UNIFIED DR. MARION KIM
PHELPS. THANKS SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE. APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME. OF COURSE. GOOD MORNING
TO PTSD. PARENTS ARE BEING
ASKED TO FILL OUT THEIR
COMMITMENT FORM RIGHT NOW. IT'S
DUE ON FRIDAY. WHY IS THAT SO
IMPORTANT FOR ALL PARENTS TO
FILL OUT? WELL, AS YOU CAN
IMAGINE, THE START OF SCHOOL
AND ORGANIZING FOR
THE CLASSROOMS IS A VERY
COMPLEX PUZZLE AND SO WE NEED
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN IDEA OF
HOW TO PLACE OUR STUDENTS, OUR
FAMILIES REALLY EMPHASIZE THAT
THEY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT
THEIR CHILDREN ARE TIED TO HOME
SCHOOL AND A TEACHER IN ORDER
TO DO THAT. WE NEED TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHERE DO WE MATCH OUR
CHILDREN TO THIS PRE SURVEY ON
THIS AND WHAT DID THAT SURVEY
SAY? WELL, WE DID A PRELIMINARY
SURVEY. IT SHOWED THAT OVER 60
PERCENT OF OUR FAMILIES WANTED
TO RETURN BACK TO CAMPUS AND
CURRENTLY OUR SURVEY IS
STARTING TO SHOW CLOSE TO OVER
70 PERCENT OF OUR FAMILIES ARE
WANTING TO GET BACK ON. AND WHY
DO YOU THINK THAT IS IN YOUR
PARTICULAR DISTRICT? I IN OUR
PARTICULAR DISTRICT I'M NOT
QUITE SURE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE SURVEY LOOKED LIKE IN
OTHER DISTRICT. BUT FOR US HOW
A UNIFIED GOAL HAS FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING HAS ALWAYS
BEEN HAS BEEN TO PROVIDE OUR
FAMILIES WITH OPTIONS AND SO
BUT OUR OPTIONS ARE LIMITED BY
THE GUIDELINES AND MANDATES BY
THE STATE AND COUNTY. THEY MAY
BE HIGHER DEMAND BECAUSE
THE NUMBERS AND PELLEY IN OUR
APPELLATE ZIP CODES ARE LOWER
THAN IT IS IN THE REST OF
THE COUNTY OR OTHER PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE SOME
VIEWERS HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AND
SEE IF YOU WERE CHRISTINA AND
WANTS TO KNOW HOW THE DISTRICT
EXPECTS PARENTS TO MAKE A
CHOICE ON IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL.
IF SHE DOESN'T KNOW ALL
THE DETAILS LIKE STUDENTS BEING
ON CAMPUS FULL TIME OR HALF
DAYS WILL GRADES START AT
DIFFERENT TIMES? WILL THEY BE
STAGGERED? I MEAN WHAT ARE SOME
OF THE ANSWERS TO THESE AND IS
THERE A PLACE WHERE PARENTS CAN
FIND ALL THAT OUT? ABSOLUTELY.
WE CREATED SOFTWARE REALLY HARD
IN CREATING A ONLINE GUIDE BOOK
AND WE HAVE A CUZ AND WE'VE
ALSO HAVE A LIVE STREAM Q AND
TOMORROW EVENING FOR OUR
FAMILIES AT 6 P.M. WE ALSO HAVE
A Q AND A FOR ALL OF OUR
TEACHERS TOMORROW. PRIOR TO
THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY
COMMUNICATING WITH OUR FAMILIES
BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS EVER
CHANGING AND IT'S A EVOLVING AS
WE'RE MOVING ALONG AND AS WE
GET MORE INPUT FROM OUR
FAMILIES AND AND LOOK AT
THE NEEDS OF OUR STAFF THEY'RE
CHANGING SLIGHTLY. WHAT PARENTS
CAN EXPECT IS THAT IF YOU
CHOOSE TO COME BACK ON CAMPUS,
IT'S A PHASED IN APPROACH AND
AT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WE
WILL HAVE A.M. P.M. SESSIONS.
SO ASK THE STUDENTS COME BACK
IN THE MORNING, COME IN
THE MORNING AND THE OTHER HALF
WILL COME LATER IN
THE AFTERNOON. MUCH OF OUR
CHANGES IN THE WAY WE'RE
OFFERING OUR ON CAMPUS
EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN AS A RESULT
OF THE INCREASE OF NUMBER OF
FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHOSEN
THE OPTION TO COME BACK ON
CAMPUS SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE
THAT WE HAVE THE SMALLEST
POSSIBLE CLASS SIZES TO ENSURE
THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SAFETY FOR
OUR STUDENTS. IF THEY IF THEY
CHOOSE FOR FULLY VIRTUAL
ONLINE, ALL OF OUR TEACHERS
WILL BE TRAINED ON THE ONLINE
PLATFORMS TO ENSURE THAT
THEY'RE RECEIVING A ROBUST AND
RIGOROUS EXPERIENCE. THE LAST
ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE HOMESCHOOL
OR INDEPENDENT STUDY. WE'RE
ALSO EXPANDING THOSE PROGRAMS
SO THAT THOSE ARE AVAILABLE FOR
OUR FAMILY WHEN IT COMES TO
WHEN IT COMES TO THE CLASS
LEARNING WILL THE KIDS BE
REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS
THE WHOLE DAY? OR WILL THERE BE
TIMES WHERE THEY CAN TAKE THEM
OFF? AND WHAT ABOUT
THE TEACHERS AND STAFF THAT
THE TEACHERS AND STAFF WILL BE
REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS AND BAND
OR SHIELDS? WE'VE PURCHASED
THAT FOR ALL OF OUR STAFF.
THE STUDENTS WHEN THEY ARE NOT
CAN OBSERVE 6 FOOT DISTANCE
THERE ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED
TO WEAR MASKS. SO I ASK MY
SCHOOL FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN ORDER TO DECREASE
THE PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT ON
CAMPUS. WE'RE OFFERING TO OUR
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THE OPTION
TO ENROLL IN SOME CLASSES
ONLINE AND THEN SOME CLASSES BE
PRESENT ON CAMPUS AND OUR
SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE LOOKING
AT AT A B MODEL WHERE HALF OF
THE STUDENTS WILL COME ON TWO
DAYS IN THE WEEK AND THEN
THE OTHER HALF WILL COME ON
THE OTHER TWO DAYS AND THEN
HAVE ONE FULL DAY SO THAT
THE WHOLE CLASS CAN BE TOGETHER
VIRTUALLY. GOTCHA NEWS A VIEWER
SCOTT MESSAGED ME TO ASK WHAT
THE GAME PLAN IS FOR MONITORING
EACH SCHOOL AND IF A SCHOOL IS
CLOSE TO TRIGGERING. HOW IS
THAT GOING TO BE COMMUNICATED
TO PARENTS OF THAT SCHOOL?
WELL, IF IT COMES CLOSE TO
TRIGGERING WILL DEFINITELY
NOTIFY ALL THE FAMILIES THAT
ARE BEING AFFECTED IN THAT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMUNITY. SO IF
SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS OFF THAT
WATCH AS IS NOT OFF THAT WATCH
LIST FOR TWO WEEKS IN ORDER TO
HAVE THE IN-PERSON CLASSES. IF
THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN TWO WEEKS
BEFORE THE PROPOSED SEPTEMBER
2ND START DATE, DOES IT JUST
START GETTING PUSHED BACK TO
THE THIRD AND FOURTH YOU JUST
WAITING FOR THAT TWO WEEKS TO
PASS? TO HAVE THE IN-PERSON
CLASSES NOW WE PUSH BACK OUR
START DATE SO THAT IT WOULD
GIVE US THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF
CHANCE TO OPEN CAMPUS SO THAT
WE CAN HONOR THE 70 PERCENT OF
OUR FAMILIES WHO WANT THIS
OPTION. BUT SEPTEMBER 2ND IS
OUR START DATE. IF IF WE ARE
OFF THE WATCH LIST BY THEN,
THEN THE PLAN IS FOR US TO GO
TO OUR CONTINGENCY PLAN WHICH
IS TO GO A HUNDRED PERCENT
RATE. BUT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE
THAT IS NOT OUR DESIRE. OUR
ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GET OUR
KIDS BACK IN OUR SCHOOLS.
THAT'S THE ONE COMMON THEME
I'VE HEARD FROM ALL PARENTS IS
THAT THEY DO WANT THEIR KIDS
BACK IN CLASS. THEY WOULD JUST
WANT TO