The Monterey County civil
grand jury completed its investigation into the county’s educational response
to COVID-19, praising educators and the Monterey County Office of Education for
their efforts during the pandemic.
“I’m thrilled to see the report
and the fact that the grand jury did recognize how hard everyone in the
educational community has worked to really meet the needs of the students and
families we serve,” said Deneen Guss, the superintendent of schools for the
Monterey County Office of Education.
The Monterey County civil
grand jury is an investigatory watchdog body made up of volunteers from the
community created to ensure the best interests of all citizens of the county
are being served by the local government.
The report stated that
“The Monterey County civil grand jury felt compelled to investigate Monterey
County’s educational response to Coronavirus Disease of 2019 due to the
persuasive concerns expressed by members of the public about the impacts of
COVID-19 on students’ mental health and academic learning loss.”
Between March and October
2020, the number of mental-health-related visits to the emergency room
increased nationally by 24% for ages 5-11 and by 31% for ages 12-17 over 2019
numbers.
During the investigation,
the civil grand jury reviewed documents and conducted extensive interviews with
staff members of the office of education, educators in the county, district
superintendents and members of the Board of Supervisors.
The civil grand jury found
that the county Office of Education “was proactive and instrumental in
providing support and services to the school districts and other educational
facilities in Monterey County,” the report said. “MCOE played a leading role in
the success of students and teachers.”
The county Office of
Education started planning for the pandemic in Dec. 2019 and by Jan. 2020 was
actively preparing for it.
The civil grand jury’s
findings praised the Monterey County Office of Education for distributing over
714,000 masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment
to schools; providing professional development to teachers and staff to address
issues caused by the pandemic; and providing school districts with resources
and support, mental health services and increased collaboration among community
agencies.
The report stated that
“one of MCOE’s biggest contributions to education during the pandemic was the
creation of the Digital Equity Task Force.” After discovering in March 2020
that 9,839 students did not have electronic devices and 11,291 students did not
have internet access, the office of education sought out funding for
technology, raising $2,659,960. By the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the
number of students that didn’t have electronic devices or internet access was
reduced to zero.
The civil grand jury also
praised the county’s school districts, superintendents and educators for their
response to the pandemic.
“School districts,
teachers, classified staff, educational support personnel and the MCOE met
these challenges with initiative and flexibility,” the report said. “Educators,
at all levels, went beyond their job descriptions to provide support and
services to students and their families.”
The investigation found
that schools in the county were used as food distribution centers and COVID-19
testing and vaccination clinics. School districts invested in behavioral health
support systems and “holistic student support,” which included food, health
care, academics and mental health services. School districts also focused on
creating new professional development for teachers to learn how to transition
from in-person to distance learning quickly.
Two schools within the
Salinas City Elementary School District were recently recognized with the
California Pivotal Practice Award for the 2020-2021 school year for their
innovative practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Gabilan Elementary
School in Salinas received the award for focusing on professional development
during the pandemic, utilizing technology in the classroom to transition
teachers to online instruction and keep students engaged in what they were
learning.
Monterey Park Elementary
School received the award for emphasizing student engagement once schools were
closed, transitioning to drive-thru events and virtual activities to keep
morale high.
And even though schools
have returned to in-person learning, districts in the county have continued to
prioritize the safety of students, teachers and staff.
Pacific Grove Unified
School District announced Monday that masks will once again be required in
schools until further notice. This follows a new policy approved by the
district’s school board in April which requires all students and staff to wear
masks indoors if cases and test positivity reach a “moderate threshold” – a
seven-day average test positivity greater than 5% and a seven-day average case
rate of more than 10 cases per 100,000 individuals.
The civil grand jury’s
report praised school staff as well, noting that while teachers worked from
home, essential school staff continued to work from the school, exposing them
to greater risk.
Foodservice workers
distributed hundreds of thousands of free meals to students, while bus drivers
moved supplies and made deliveries of food and lessons to student homes and
even served as Wi-Fi hot spots.
The report noted some
concerns about two financial issues: the end of the federal funding and the
drop in average daily attendance. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which
included funding for schools, requires that funds are spent by the end of the
2024-2025 school year. And county-wide average daily attendance has dropped 10%
over last year, with some schools dropping as high as 18%.
The report concluded with
some recommendations for the Monterey County Office of Education and school
districts. They recommended that school districts maintain extended learning
opportunities and at least one behavioral support staff member at each school
site until the end of the 2025-2026 school year; the Monterey County Office of
Education continues to closely monitor drops in average daily attendance and
the end of funding, and continues to be forward-thinking about its emergency
plans.
“When you’re in emergency
situations, it’s really tough and there are always people who step up and
people who don’t, but I’m really thankful and proud that the educational
community did step up and did what needed to be done for our students and
families,” Guss said. “It wasn’t easy, but we did what we needed to do and we
will continue to work hard each and every day to make sure we are supporting
our students and families.”
The entire report can be
read at https://www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/grand-jury/
Monterey Herald
By Molly Gibbs
May 17, 2022
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