Little did I know that, two short months later, I (along with the rest of the world) would be dealing with a coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic — something far more serious than any of the items on my to-do list. Nor did I know at the time that this virus would cause many schools across our state to shutter their doors to students for the rest of school year; that school employees would be serving drive-thru meals to students; that almost every school district and county office of education in the state would be scrambling to implement some form of a distance learning program for their entire student body; and that our state (and our nation and world) would be tallying up daily deaths caused by a microscopic bug that has the ability to incapacitate the healthy in a matter of days.

I could never have imagined any of these things. I could never have imagined that I would have to make the very difficult decision to cancel CSBA’s Legislative Action Day for the first time in the history of the association, and that a few short days later — ahead of the Governor’s call to stay at home — I would close CSBA’s office in order to protect my staff and CSBA’s operational capacity from this invisible threat.

ith the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, and the social distancing and other safety-related restrictions being implemented to contain it, schools throughout the country have almost universally switched to distance or virtual learning. The switch has raised countless questions for parents and school leaders alike.

One critical question is around how the confidentiality of student education records will be maintained as required by law, when schools adopt virtual means to educate their students. The U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO), has provided some guidance through its “FERPA & Virtual Learning During COVID-19” webinar, in which it answered common questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, shared best practices on privacy and security, and provided other useful resources.

Most importantly, the webinar is a reminder to school authorities that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the federal privacy law that applies to educational institutions, remains in force even in these unprecedented circumstances. FERPA protects the rights of parents and eligible students to access and seek amendment to student education records, provide consent before personally identifiable information (PII) from a student’s education records may be disclosed to a third party and to file a complaint. The webinar used a number of scenarios to highlight elements of the law, address related questions and communicate important considerations for situations that may arise. Information regarding some of the scenarios are summarized below.

rowing numbers of college scholarships and professional careers. Million-dollar matches broadcast on ESPN. And now, a multitude of high school leagues up and down the state of California. Districts and county offices of education are quickly leveling up their forays into the world of organized esports, or competitions using video games, to engage students in new ways.

Successful and highly popular ventures by early adopters such as the Orange County High School eSports League have led to duplicated efforts in urban, suburban and rural areas. A direct offshoot of the Orange County program can be found in Butte County, which established the Northern California Esports League to much fanfare and community interest. Thirty-eight teams from 25 high schools participated in the Orange County High School eSports League in its 2018 inaugural season, with success leading to the league’s transformation into the North America Scholastic Esports Federation. The federation focuses on helping schools across the country establish their own scholastic leagues and tournaments.

Organizers and education officials say the leagues are about much more than teenagers passing time by lounging around playing video games, but rather, teach leadership, communication, perseverance and determination— many of the same skills gained from participating in other sports and activities.

Gov. Newsom has issued multiple executive orders in recent weeks impacting school district and county office of education board meetings. On March 17, 2020, Gov. Newsom issued Executive Order N-29-20. The order superseded paragraph 11 of the previous March 12, 2020, Executive Order N-25-20, which required school districts to provide a physical location from where members of the public could participate in a board meeting.

This overriding Executive Order N-29-20 provides that boards no longer need to make space available for the public to appear at any physical location. Board members and staff may attend regular, special and emergency meetings by telephone or video conference, and members of the public may observe and address the board by telephone or electronic means. The order helps ensure public safety and continued public participation in board meetings while the state’s stay-at-home policy remains in effect.

he statistics are startling. According to the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee, seven in 10 teachers assign homework that requires broadband access, but nearly one in three households don’t have it.

ohn Burton Advocates for Youth, named for the former member of the California State Assembly and President Pro Tem of the State Senate, works to improve the quality of life for California’s foster, former foster and homeless youth through three areas: housing, health and education.

California Schools recently talked with Raucher about the barriers these children face in transitioning to higher education, the role K-12 schools play in preparing students for success and the need for systems to share information about foster youth.

The following graduates have successfully completed the program, gaining essential knowledge for being an effective governance team member.

Ashley Anderson
Michelle Barto

Norwalk-La Mirada USD

Jorge Tirado

Paramount USD

Carmen Gomez

Pleasant Valley SD

Suzanne Kitchens