Leader of Leaders for Racial Equity Transformation Seminar Series

The Leader of Leaders seminar series is designed to help educators deconstruct often unconscious personal biases and beliefs, develop the knowledge and skills to challenge them when they arise, thereby moving closer to systemic equity transformation.  Educators will engage in a series of personally reflective exercises, thought provoking dialogue and race-centered instruction supporting their ability to serve as equity leaders in their school communities.  Please refer to the attached flyer for registration and other information about this series.

Confronting Online Antisemitism

If you were able to join the Confronting Online Antisemitism conversation webinar on Thursday, October 1st, thank you for joining. If you were unable to join and would like to view the recording, it is now available – here is the link. All resources discussed throughout the webinar are here.

We are glad to share that this meaningful work will continue! Through partnership with Jewish Family & Children’s Services Holocaust Center and the Anti-Defamation League, we are offering a series of trainings for students, school staff and parents. Attached are the flyers in both English and Spanish with the information.

Thank you for sharing these opportunities with your school communities.

September 15, 2020 - Marin County Moved to Tier 2 "Substantial" Risk Category in State COVID-19 Response Framework

Marin County has moved into the Tier 2 “substantial” risk category in the state’s COVID-19 response framework. Please refer to the Marin Moves to Tier 2 of Economic Reopening press release from September 15, 2020.

This allows all of our schools to reopen site-based classroom instruction on September 29^th under the 30 Point Guideline plan.  The importance of following all safety protocols and procedures in the plan are critical to this process. To maximize the health and safety of staff and students, the completion of the School Site-Specific Protection Plan (SSSPP) is required for all district offices and school sites. The files in different formats follow here:  

Instructions for Download and Use
-Adobe Fillable PDF
-Word Document
-Google Drive Doc

Over the last several months, Dr. Matt Willis and Dr. Lisa Santora have led us through various discussions and trainings to support the return to site-based instruction. Here are just a few of the trainings to take note of:

• September 3, 2020 Public Health Update to Schools
• 5:32 Mark – New Framework (Tier System) Announced by State
• 9:50 Mark – Key Features of new framework – Two weeks in Tier 2, schools may return to site based instruction
• 11:00 Mark – Responsive, may tighten and become more restrictive
• 16:25 Mark – Waiver required when in Tier 1
• Comprehensive Public Health Update and reviewed the 30 Point Guideline plan on August 12^th (link to training video here – review of 30 points starts at 19:50);
• Public Health Site Liaison Training;

• Other trainings that include Site Walkthroughs, Response to Exposure Protocols – see link to ALL trainings here; and
• Documents available (SSSPP, 30 point guidelines, exposure protocols and others) – see link to documents here

The California Department of Public Health’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy identifies when schools may re-open for in person instruction:

Schools

Schools may reopen for in-person instruction based on equivalent criteria to the July 17^th School Re-opening Framework (PDF) previously announced. Schools are eligible for reopening at least some in-person instruction following California School Sector Specific Guidelines once the county is out of Tier 1 (and thus in Tier 2)  for at least 14 days, which is similar to being off the County Data Monitoring List for at least 14 days.  As noted above, an LHJ (Local Health Jurisdiction) may continue to implement or maintain more restrictive public health measures if the local health officer determines that health conditions in that jurisdiction warrant such measures.

As stated in the July 17th School Re-opening Framework (PDF), schools are not required to close if a county moves back to Tier 1, but should consider surveillance testing of staff. 

If you have any questions, please visit our Rethinking Schools’ website that has all of the documents, videos on trainings, and other resources for returning students to site-based classroom instruction. You can also email RapidResponse@marinschools.org.

Thanks for all you do!

2020-21 Adopted Budget Review

We appreciate the rapid responses to the draft Adopted Budget approval letters which allowed us to meet the statutory deadline to mail the final letters to your Board Presidents. As noted in the letters, a number of districts are projecting the need for budget reductions and over half of the districts have yet to settle collective bargaining for 2020-21.

 

 

Affordable Care Act Reporting Training

The  Internal Revenue Services (IRS) has yet to release the draft 2019 Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting forms and instructions, nonetheless, it’s time to start preparing for ACA reporting. Two training dates will be scheduled at the end of October to provide an understanding of the process we use, go over the data collection spreadsheet, and timelines for preparation. If the final IRS ACA reporting forms have any material changes impacting the data collection we will conduct follow-up training.

 

 

2019-20 Unaudited Financials

All districts have submitted their 2019-2020 Unaudited actuals financial data. The data is being reviewed before certification to the CDE on or before October 15th.

 

 

Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans

District Business Services office staff are in the process of reviewing the district's 2020-21 Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans.  We expect to provide draft review letters to districts on or about October 27th, with final letters issued by the statutory deadline of October 30, 2020. As always, we appreciate as quick a response as possible to ensure we meet the statutory deadline for the final letters.

 

CALPADS Submission Window

• Fall 1 based on October 7, 2020 (Census Day) must be certified by December 18, 2020
• Continued this year the Special Education pupil count will also be reported on Census Day instead of December 1st
• Please provide a copy of the CALPADs 1.17 report summarizing enrollment and unduplicated count to AB1200@marinschools.org as soon as certified
• The Fall 1 amendment window will be active from December 19, 2020 to January 29, 2021

Leader of Leaders for Racial Equity Transformation Seminar Series

The Leader of Leaders seminar series is designed to help educators deconstruct often unconscious personal biases and beliefs, develop the knowledge and skills to challenge them when they arise, thereby moving closer to systemic equity transformation.  Educators will engage in a series of personally reflective exercises, thought provoking dialogue and race-centered instruction supporting their ability to serve as equity leaders in their school communities.  Please refer to the attached flyer for registration and other information about this series.

E2T Elevation to Transformation Seminar Series 2020

This series is designed to help participants develop the foundation and tools to talk about race, elevating racial consciousness, and the impact of race on their lives and work.  Session two is open for enrollment to this virtual seminar: Session 2: October 23rd, 30th, and November 6th - 3:30pm to 5:00pm. Please refer to the attached flyer for more information and registration details.

Weekly COVID-19 Updates from State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond

Following are the weekly COVID-19 updates for the month of September 2020, from California State Superintendent of Education, Tony Thurmond.

• September 4, 2020
• September 11, 2020
• September 18, 2020
• September 25, 2020

Employer Notice Obligations Related to COVID-19 Exposure and Outbreaks (AB 685)

Effective January 1, 2021, Labor Code section 6409.6 requires employers to notify certain employees, their exclusive representatives, and employers of contracted employees, within one business day, after the employer receives a “notice of potential exposure” to COVID-19, and to notify the local public health agency, within 48 hours, after learning of a “COVID-19 outbreak” at a worksite.  Please refer to the attached memo from the School and College Legal Services of California for more information.  Click here to see Assemblly Bill 685 on COVID-19: Imminent Hazard to Employees.

New Special Education Guidance During COVID-19 Pandemic

On September 30, 2020, the California Department of Education (“CDE”) released new guidance (“Guidance”) related to the provision of supports and services to students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Guidance addressed cohorts, distance learning, assessments, drafting emergency conditions offers in IEPs, and the social emotional wellness of students, this brief legal update highlights some of the more informative components of the Guidance.  Please refer to the attached memo from the School and College Legal Services of California for more information.

 

SchoolsRule Distribution Event - October 27, 2020

Please join us for the SchoolsRule Distribution event via Zoom on October 27, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.  The funds, generously donated by businesses, community agencies and individual donors, are distributed equally on a per-student basis to provide direct support for literacy, the arts, technology and health programs helping ensure that all public schools in Marin have the resources they need to fully meet the needs of their students.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Oct 27, 2020 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: SchoolsRule Zoom Event

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87510932503?pwd=cEw0MGY5RmxmcHpjQWhMRnBjdHBDQT09

Passcode: 873242

 

Behavior Intervention and Emergency Intervention Policy Training - October 13, 2020 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

This training is designed to support the SELPA's member LEAs regarding how to conduct, develop, and implement behavioral interventions.

 

Learning  Ally: Increase the Capacity for Comprehension with Learning Ally Audiobooks - October 19 or 20, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. In this training you will explore how the Learning Ally audiobook can boost comprehension for struggling readers.
 

Learning  Ally: Using Learning Ally Audiobooks to Support Social Emotional Learning - October 29, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Discover how to infuse strategies that boost social-emotional learning into your daily reading instruction.

 

SPG: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Consideration in the Schools: What is new for SLPS - October 21, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

 

SPG: Ethical Considerations for working with the Cultural Linguistic Diversity Populations - October 28, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 

Diagnostic Center: CA Dyslexia Guidelines - Next Steps - October 22, 2020 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. This workshop will review the California definition of dyslexia and review the consideration and tools for screening and assessing. Participants will learn how to plan and implement academic interventions for students with reading deficits.