Most of you have just started a new school year with no students on campus and are striving to provide a quality educational experience to students through distance learning. And while we all are committed to educating students during this distinctive period, this commitment is being challenged by not only the effects of COVID-19, but by our state’s lack of investment and vision for connecting our schools over the last several decades. These twin pillars of complacency have crippled many of our schools’ ability to develop the 21st-century technology infrastructure needed to support effective distance learning. As a result, many of you have been scrambling to prepare for a new school year conducted primarily or exclusively online.

Limiting LEA liability during the pandemic

hese are trying times to be a school district and county office of education board member. Charged during the pandemic with making critical decisions that will affect students, staff and their families, and for others who live and work in the community, board members have a lot on their plate. Since schools closed in March, questions about the potential liability for those decisions have dominated chat rooms and social media.

Prompted by each new advisory guidance issued by regulators, another round of questions envelop CSBA-produced webinars and the regional forums organized by CSBA’s PACERs. Clearly, there have been more questions than answers.

One thing is for sure: governing boards have broad discretionary authority to act on behalf of their constituents to plan for the reopening of schools. How much that planning involves parents and local public health officers will be reflected in the new Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan to be completed by Sept. 30. How much that planning involves employees will be reflected in memorandums of understanding negotiated with each bargaining unit. And how much the plan to safely reopen schools depends on additional state and federal funding will be reflected in interim budget reports.

nce a traditional middle school, Ocala STEAM Academy in the Alum Rock Union School District reopened in August 2015 as a project-based learning campus. The school, just east of San Jose, is built on the foundation that all students can be powerful learners when provided with the appropriate access points and opportunities. Ocala is committed to leveraging its diverse community to help all students be agents of change. Its successes landed a 2019 CSBA Golden Bell Award for Outstanding Program in STEM/STEAM.

In light of recent events in our nation that have sparked a global movement, school districts around California have begun to take bold and courageous steps to combat institutional racism. Governance teams have released statements to their communities expressing solidarity with Black Lives Matter as well as committed to reopening, or should we say, “reimagining” schools with intentionality to address equity gaps that were exacerbated during distance learning for many students. And while experiencing an immense amount of pressure to address the health and safety of students in light of COVID-19, governance teams have also grappled with the challenge of redefining instruction and grading systems while still wrestling with the ever-looming impact of institutional racism. This is truly an unprecedented time in education in which school board members must consider what side of history they will be on when addressing racial equity gaps at the policy level.

For some, fear of themselves or loved ones falling ill has caused feelings of anxiety. For others, the isolation and possibility of job loss, and all the potential repercussions that come with it, has led to deepening depression.

In California, teachers, administrators and staff are among those struggling with the fallout of the pandemic — all while attempting to be a comforting presence for their students.