Post-Election Responses For Student Safety and Wellness

BREAKING NEWS:

ACSA Members Share Positive and Timely Post-Election Responses For Student Safety and Wellness

Here are some early responses to the emerging situation regarding post election community concerns and school walkouts.

From Napa and Vintage High Schools, this Connect-ED message went out to district parents this morning:

We are aware that some Napa and Vintage high school students are planning to leave their campuses and express themselves publicly today.

We want you to know that our interests here are student safety and education, and our preference and request to students is that they stay in class and learn today.

Students who leave class will be charged with an unexcused absence, as they would in any other instance.

However, we know some students will exercise their civil rights and express themselves publicly, so our obligation then becomes to give them a safe place to do that. For that reason, we have asked them to gather at Memorial Stadium. Local elected officials have offered to meet them there to talk.

This is not a school or District sanctioned event. Again, our interest is that our students are safe. If you have questions, you can call the Superintendent's office at (707) 253-3511 or the Communications office at (707) 259-7525

This positive message was shared yesterday from Patrick Sweeney, Superintendent of Napa Valley Unified School District:

As we prepare for a peaceful, democratic transition to a new U.S. administration, please know that we remain committed to our goals of ensuring the health and safety of our students and that all students have equitable access and opportunities to learn 21st century skills and be well prepared for college and careers.

We value the social and emotional growth of our students, teachers, staff, and families. If there are students who are feeling anxious, for whatever reason, with the transition to a new presidential administration, please allow them to express themselves in a supportive environment which may include support from a counselor.

Let's appreciate one another and move forward, all of us, together. Thank you for your commitment to our students' success.

This was shared with the families at Stone Bridge Charter School by the school administration team:

The sun rose today in the beautiful Napa Valley heralding an official end to the election of 2016. For some SBS families, there is celebration, and others are struggling to understand the outcome and what it means.

Ultimately, it is the children that are our focus and how they are faring today. Election buzz from the students is clearly being heard from campus. So, how do we speak to them about this election? Here's a great article from the LA Times by Michele Maltais:

"...the most important thing to convey is not our own partisan fervor, but respect for our system, messy as it may be. So, we will tell our children five things:

We are Americans. And what that means is we believe in democracy. And sometimes, democracy is difficult. That leads to the next point.

Everyone gets a voice, but that doesn’t mean our vote will always prevail. Even if our pick for president didn’t win, we honor the results of the election. Because that is how we transfer power – peacefully. No matter who is sitting in the Oval Office, we must respect the office of the presidency.

Speak up. We speak truth to power and fight for those who need our support.

We respect one another. We may come from different places, believe different things – maybe even passionately – but we treat one another with the same respect we expect to be treated with. Even when most of the people we know say one thing, we should remember that half of the country feels the other way. And we must respect our fellow Americans.

We don’t walk away. Politicians concede races. But as citizens, we do not concede our legal rights and sacred responsibility to remain engaged in who governs and how they govern our country. We steady ourselves, stand together, and work to make things better for all of us.

That is what America is – constantly in the process of becoming a more perfect union, even through its challenges and imperfections."

These staff talking points were shared by Elizabeth Emmett, Director of Communications for MVUSD:

For anyone taking questions/phone calls/etc.

1) Our interests are student safety and education.

2) Our preference is that our students stay in class and learn.

3) Many have indicated they intend to exercise their civil rights and express themselves publicly

4) So our obligation becomes providing as safe a place as we can for them to do that.

Therefore we are asking Napa High and Vintage High students who want to express themselves to walk to Memorial Stadium.

Other school sites may supervise limited student sit ins this morning that should not exceed an hour in length.

This is not a school or District sanctioned event, but we want to ensure our students are safe.

Regular attendance protocols will be followed, meaning that students who leave campus will be charged with unexcused absence.

Cindy Marten, Superintendent from San Diego Unified School District, shared this positive community message:

Please view this message from Cindy Marten.

NEA edCommunities has provided these teacher tips - Talking to Students After the Election:

Stories are flooding social media from parents whose children are afraid of what the 2016 presidential election results might mean. There is much confusion about what to believe and what to expect. When even adults experience this level of anxiety, how do we reassure our students?

• Tell them that they're safe at school and in your classroom.

• Remind them that no single person can make the decisions that affect our country.

• Let them know that nothing will change overnight. There is time to plan and prepare to take action, if need be.

• Let them talk and just listen to their fears. Show them how much we care about what they think and how they feel.

• Offer hope and empowerment, in the form of opportunities to uplift themselves and their communities.

• Assure them that we will keep fighting for justice and equality for all.

• Above all, keep it uppermost in their minds that it is the job of every adult in their world to protect and care for them, educators included.

BREAKING NEWS:

ACSA Members Share Positive and Timely Post-Election Responses For Student Safety and Wellness

Here are some early responses to the emerging situation regarding post election community concerns and school walkouts.

From Napa and Vintage High Schools, this Connect-ED message went out to district parents this morning:

This positive message was shared yesterday from Patrick Sweeney, Superintendent of Napa Valley Unified School District:

This was shared with the families at Stone Bridge Charter School by the school administration team:

These staff talking points were shared by Elizabeth Emmett, Director of Communications for MVUSD:

Cindy Marten, Superintendent from San Diego Unified School District, shared this positive community message:

NEA edCommunities has provided these teacher tips - Talking to Students After the Election:

ACSA will continue to develop, support and share resources to assist all ACSA member in dealing with this unique situation.

ACSA Members Share Positive and Timely Post-Election Responses For Student Safety and Wellness