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Superintendent’s Advisory Committee

September 18, 2024

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Piedmont Unified School District

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Advisory to the Superintendent

Information/ Perspective-sharing among groups

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Purpose & Process of SAC

Students

Parents/ Guardians

Staff

Superintendent

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Norms

Our Board follows the Norms below…

We will keep our focus on the best interest of our students.
We will listen actively to all ideas and be open to the ideas of others.
We will wait to speak until a team member has finished talking.
We will communicate openly and honestly with each other and respect each other’s differences.
We will all be responsible for the success of the meeting and the success of the team.
We will respect team meeting times: start on time, return from breaks promptly, avoid unnecessary interruptions.
We will stay focused on our goals and avoid getting sidetracked.
We will work toward the future – learning from the past.

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Strategic Priorities
Creating an Environment to Thrive
Programs, Staffing, & Policy
Board Workshop

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Agenda

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PUSD Strategic Plan

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Creating an Environment to Thrive
Investing in Outstanding Academics
Partnering Beyond the Classroom
Building for Operational Excellence
Graduate Profile: PUSD students are…Empathetic, Scholar, Communicator, Collaborator, Critical Thinker, Self-Regulated

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Strategic Priorities

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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In Piedmont USD

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Asking the right questions…

What is our common understanding of creating an environment to thrive?

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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Asking the right questions…

What is our common understanding of creating an

environment to thrive?

Cultivate a culture of caring, belonging, and trust that will provide students and staff with the support they need to foster connections and truly engage in meaningful learning.

GOALS

Prioritize student and staff social and emotional well-being.
Cultivate a culture of respect and connectedness among students, staff, and families.
Lean into a restorative justice culture through aligned and consistent application of RJ practices.
Provide green, open spaces for students and staff to unplug and recharge in a welcoming and natural setting.

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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The Throughline…

Collaboration: Staff, Students, & Families

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Asking the right questions…

What data do we review to monitor an environment to thrive?

CA Healthy Kids Survey, including DEIB survey results
Other SEL Screeners
Other surveys
Other data points (attendance, grades, disciplinary incidents, etc.)
Facilities
Wellness Center Statistics

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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Creating an Environment to Thrive: CHKS Data 2023-24

CA Healthy Kids Survey:

The CHKS is anonymous and given in grades 5, 7, 9, 11 - for PUSD annually (biannual for state). It is focused on the five most important areas for guiding school and student improvement:

student connectedness, learning engagement/motivation, and attendance;
school climate, culture, and conditions;
school safety, including violence perpetration and victimization/bullying;
physical and mental well-being and social-emotional learning; and
student supports, including resilience-promoting developmental factors (caring relationships, high expectations, and meaningful participation).

Partnership between CDE and WestEd since 1997: A norm-referenced assessment (NRT) is a standardized test that compares a student's performance to a group of other students, typically of the same age or grade level. The goal of an NRT is to rank students in relation to how well they performed compared to their peers

Other Data Points:

Wellness Center

2021-22 - 1354 visits

2022-23 - 1400 visits

2023-24 - 1409 visits

I would like to gather your input on our strengths and areas for growth, including data collection

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Asking the right questions…

What are our strengths and opportunities for growth in PUSD?

Share here:

https://padlet.com/jhawn6/sac-meeting-1-creating-an-environment-to-thrive-jowg0126a9ajg0jp

Or here:

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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What COULD the future of

our schools look like?

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Asking the right questions…

What PUSD Programs and Staffing help create an environment to thrive?

Wellness Center
Counselor services at all schools
Instruction: SEL instruction / Academy / Elementary Playworks/DEIB embedded instruction
Affinity Mentors Program
Athletics, Extracurricular programs, the Arts, and Clubs
Core programs
All Staff, Parents, & Supporters (PEF, Parent Club, Community), and our Board of Education

Other considerations in creating an environment to thrive?

Policies

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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Asking the right questions…

Is our cell phone use policy one way we can help students thrive?

Current Cell Phone Use Permissions linked HERE

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Creating an Environment to Thrive

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Summer Reading…

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Summer Reading…

In The News

Education Week: Which States Ban or Restrict Cellphones in Schools?

Education Week: School Cellphone Bans Gain Steam as Los Angeles Unified Signs On

NY Times: Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones

Axios: Schools ban phones, but do the policies work?

LA Times: LAUSD approves cellphone ban as Newsom calls for statewide action

NPR: Is a statewide ban on cell phones in schools realistic?

Chalkbeat: NYC planning a school cellphone ban for February, principals say

The Daily Journal: San Mateo County school districts asked to consider cellphone bans

Piedmont Exedra: More California schools are banning smartphones, but kids keep bringing them

TPH Editorial: Editorial on Phone Ban: https://tphnews.com/21085/opinions/editorials/editorial-on-phone-ban/

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Resources to Consider

Webinar with Jonathan Haidt: 9/24 at 3PM. https://home.edweb.net/webinar/mentalhealth20240924/

Huberman Lab Video with Dr. Mark Brackett: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-marc-brackett-how-to-increase-your-emotional-intelligence

The Daily (podcast) with Natasha Singer, NY Times: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7K9IT9f88YZhRuuhMwPLS5?si=JF-6qVPzSQystksBYTxD2g

The Relationship between Cellphone Usage on the Physical and Mental Wellbeing of University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. 7/2022: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_XBFxwaio0aKTXeVTjHqZbq-zk8efFf_/view?usp=sharing

New California Law: Assembly Bill 3216, renamed the Phone-Free School Act, requires that every school district, charter school and county office of education develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026.

“This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Phone-Free Schools Act.

SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) There is growing evidence that unrestricted use of smartphones by pupils at elementary and secondary schools during the schoolday interferes with the educational mission of the schools, lowers pupil performance, particularly among low-achieving pupils, promotes cyberbullying, and contributes to an increase in teenage anxiety, depression, and suicide.”

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AB 3216: Phone-Free School Act

New California Law: Assembly Bill 3216, renamed the Phone-Free School Act, requires that every school district, charter school and county office of education develop a policy limiting the use of smartphones by July 1, 2026.

48901.7. (a) The governing body of a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school shall, no later than July 1, 2026, develop and adopt, and shall update every five years, a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a schoolsite or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school. The goal of the policy shall be to promote evidence-based use of smartphone practices to support pupil learning and well-being. The development of the policy shall involve significant stakeholder participation in order to ensure that the policies are responsive to the unique needs and desires of pupils, parents, and educators in each community. The policy may also include enforcement mechanisms that limit access to smartphones.

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October 16th Board Workshop 6-8PM:

Cell Phone Use in Schools

Discussion Topics:

Exploring District/School policies on cell phones in our schools. Key Question:

Should we change our current cell phone use policies?

Parents, staff, and students should attend to provide broad perspectives.
Guest expert: Dr. Allison Baker
A survey will go out: Survey results from students, parents, and staff will be shared.
Other considerations for the workshop? Please share… a google form SAC meeting feedback form will be sent out to participants.

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October 16th Board Workshop:

Cell Phone Use in Schools

Survey Results Shared

Thank you!

Survey: We invite your feedback on cell phone use in our schools in the survey below:

Cell Phone Use Survey

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3k0rxfELMhxOghV2qabmTJUifLC6raZo3Nk-QgntIHT861w/viewform

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Thank You!

See you 10/16 at 6PM

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Strengths + Opportunities to Create an Environment to Thrive