| Mike Mclaughlin, Ed.D. | EDUCATIONAL SERVICES |
| Superintendent | Rosanna Mucetti, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent |
| 835 E. 14th St., Suite 200, San Leandro, CA 94577 | |
| Phone (510)667-3538 |
SAN LEANDRO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTJanuary 18, 2017
As many of us are aware, this year’s Inauguration Day scheduled for Friday, January 20th is anticipated to evoke strong emotional responses across the country, similar to those observed in the days after the election. Despite our own political stances and views, it is critical our community pay close attention to how our youth are feeling as this political transition takes place.
In anticipation, SLUSD wanted to proactively communicate with families about our commitment to student safety and creating safe spaces where students can process the political events, and supporting our students’ voices and their first amendment rights.
Our school site staff has resources for teaching and promoting safe, inclusive activities in the classroom allowing for students to discuss the inauguration and how they might be feeling about our current political landscape. Principals have been directed to be vigilant throughout the week in supporting our students as the inauguration approaches. We remain committed to creating spaces during the school day for students to express themselves and process their reactions.
Elementary and middle school principals have been directed to ensure no students leave campus on Friday as a reaction to the inauguration events. Given the ages of elementary and middle school students, it is important that we are mindful of their safety and believe it is not developmentally appropriate for this age group to be off campus during school hours. Schools will follow absentee protocols, if parents choose to take their children out of school to participate in events with them.
Walkouts at high schools across the country are anticipated, much like the one we experienced last November. We have heard of potential walkouts at San Leandro High School and we are coordinating with our city and local police department in order to proactively ensure student safety and responsibility. In the event that your high school student opts to walk out, we are informing parents in advance that students will be marked absent during any of the instructional periods they miss. However, there will be no disciplinary action taken as a result of walkouts on Friday, 1/20. Please discuss this information with your student so your family can make an informed decision about activities on Friday. If parents choose to take their children out of school to participate in events with them, absentee protocols will be followed.
Lastly, we want to inform parents that we greatly value instructional time. As we move forward beyond Friday, we do expect all of our students to be in class during the school day. Although we remain sensitive to the needs of our students during this complicated period, we need to also emphasize and encourage the importance of students attending class and using the classroom as a space for processing our current political reality.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact your school site administrator. We appreciate your understanding as we balance the complexity of these issues on our campuses in SLUSD.
Rosanna Mucetti, Ed.D
Deputy Superintendent
