Sonoma County Schools
* Introduction *
We advocate for students; medical freedom, & privacy. We have an interest in holding the CA educational system and administrations accountable to families, and in helping local public and private schools get back on track!
Issues:
Return to top of pageIssues:
- Lack of representation for parents when it comes to school policies that adversely effect our children.
- Too much global and political influence is present in our locally controlled schools.
- Promote public school accountability, student advocacy and parental rights.
- Oppose mandates.
- Support homeschooling and alternative education.
- Advocate for medical freedom and privacy with students and their families.
- Hold the California educational system and administrations accountable to families.
* School threat at SVHS *
An anonymous email was sent to a Sonoma Valley High School staff member at 9:49 a.m. on Thursday, November 9th, threatening to use a firearm to kill people on campus. This may have been a false alarm, a prank, or an opportunity for a drill.
Though proven to be an unfounded threat, police noted that the threat was “credible.” A total of four schools were on lock-down. Students were left confused and traumatized as they were under ‘lock-down’ for nearly five hours, many had to use buckets as temporary toilets.
Though proven to be an unfounded threat, police noted that the threat was “credible.” A total of four schools were on lock-down. Students were left confused and traumatized as they were under ‘lock-down’ for nearly five hours, many had to use buckets as temporary toilets.
Research has unveiled the alarming impacts of active shooter drills on the mental health of the students, teachers, and parents who experience them. Active shooter drills threaten the well-being of entire school communities over prolonged periods of time, leaving those who are affected in need of continued support to process the emotional aftermath. This recent local incident at Sonoma Valley High joins the experience of so many Americans who are outraged by inconsistent, unregulated, and oftentimes traumatizing drills.
Parents are concerned about how these events are looking like a possible drill for a shooting event. Police in Uvalde, Texas took part in training to respond to active shooter incidents just nine weeks before the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School - many of us in the SOS community are aware that shooting incidents often have shooting “drills” that have been organized in the months or years prior to a shooting event. Earlier this year, Sonoma Speaker Series hosted a lecture by FBI active shooter expert on potential school shootings.
A solution was offered immediately after this incident - SVUSD immediately Implemented Plans for a $442,000 on campus security camera system. The subject had been listed as an agenda item for the meeting, just days before the email incident (imagine that - we are sure that this was just a coincidence, right?) ‘And there it is. SVUSD board member John Kelly asking for cameras on campus.’ Some parents are concerned that live camera feeds stored on a cloud are against school policy, and local laws/statutes. According to common ‘terms of use’ and ‘privacy policies,’ usually third parties will have access to these video feeds, including to SHARE with their affiliates.
The SOS legal strategy team had this to say: "There is already policy in place. ‘No recording of children.’ It may even be statute. This is a privacy issue."
CALL TO ACTION:
Return to top of pageParents are concerned about how these events are looking like a possible drill for a shooting event. Police in Uvalde, Texas took part in training to respond to active shooter incidents just nine weeks before the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School - many of us in the SOS community are aware that shooting incidents often have shooting “drills” that have been organized in the months or years prior to a shooting event. Earlier this year, Sonoma Speaker Series hosted a lecture by FBI active shooter expert on potential school shootings.
A solution was offered immediately after this incident - SVUSD immediately Implemented Plans for a $442,000 on campus security camera system. The subject had been listed as an agenda item for the meeting, just days before the email incident (imagine that - we are sure that this was just a coincidence, right?) ‘And there it is. SVUSD board member John Kelly asking for cameras on campus.’ Some parents are concerned that live camera feeds stored on a cloud are against school policy, and local laws/statutes. According to common ‘terms of use’ and ‘privacy policies,’ usually third parties will have access to these video feeds, including to SHARE with their affiliates.
The SOS legal strategy team had this to say: "There is already policy in place. ‘No recording of children.’ It may even be statute. This is a privacy issue."
CALL TO ACTION:
- Keep an eye on your School Board! When are the meetings? Whats on the agenda? Consider running for local positions and/or supporting great candidates this year in our community.
- Sonoma County GOP has a School District resource. Click on your Supervisorial District (on the left) to see the list of school board member postions open in 2024.
- Contact the Sonoma GOP at 707-542-7066 or email chairman@sonomacountygop.org to find out what is involved in running for a school board and how the Sonoma GOP can help.
* Student Brawls Escalating *
Fight videos from Santa Rosa schools underscore concerns about campus violence. 100 phone videos taken of violence at our schools. The kids have Instagram accounts and special Snapchat accounts designated just for school fights on all high school campuses - this should be alarming to all of us.
Parents have been speaking up at board meetings for years, advocating for campus police and other safety policies. One SOS member did a request of Police Service calls to some high schools here in Santa Rosa. The police have been called to Santa Rosa High School dozens of times so far this school year!
(Source: "(Source: SOS member)")
We also have this info for many schools in Sonoma County, and can access details about these calls. …But yet Sonoma County’s largest school district voted in 2020 to pause its relationship with the Santa Rosa Police Department while it evaluates the efficacy and fairness of the nearly 25-year-old program. School board members have said that ‘students feel unsafe with a school resource officer on campus’.
“I don’t think there are students who are afraid of men and women in uniform, I know there are students who are afraid of men and women in uniform”
-Former Trustee Jenni Klose
“I am for completely eliminating this program”
-Trustee Omar Medina
"I know that a Santa Rosa School Board member is asking for cameras . But that doesn’t help anything at all unless they can afford to hire somebody to sit all day and watch all the cameras. That way when a fight breaks out, they can send somebody there… (which if they don’t have school resource officers who are they going to send to stop the fights?)”
-Passionate Sonoma County parent
Parents have been speaking up at board meetings for years, advocating for campus police and other safety policies. One SOS member did a request of Police Service calls to some high schools here in Santa Rosa. The police have been called to Santa Rosa High School dozens of times so far this school year!
(Source: "(Source: SOS member)")
We also have this info for many schools in Sonoma County, and can access details about these calls. …But yet Sonoma County’s largest school district voted in 2020 to pause its relationship with the Santa Rosa Police Department while it evaluates the efficacy and fairness of the nearly 25-year-old program. School board members have said that ‘students feel unsafe with a school resource officer on campus’.
“I don’t think there are students who are afraid of men and women in uniform, I know there are students who are afraid of men and women in uniform”
-Former Trustee Jenni Klose
“I am for completely eliminating this program”
-Trustee Omar Medina
"I know that a Santa Rosa School Board member is asking for cameras . But that doesn’t help anything at all unless they can afford to hire somebody to sit all day and watch all the cameras. That way when a fight breaks out, they can send somebody there… (which if they don’t have school resource officers who are they going to send to stop the fights?)”
-Passionate Sonoma County parent
CALL TO ACTION:
Please attend the nexr SRCS Board Meeting. Meetings held at City Hall - 100 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA. You can view videos of previous SRCS meetings and view info on upcoming meetings.
Return to top of pagePlease attend the nexr SRCS Board Meeting. Meetings held at City Hall - 100 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA. You can view videos of previous SRCS meetings and view info on upcoming meetings.
* Safe Campus Alliance *
Safe Campus Alliance was formed out of the sheer desperation of many people that live in our community. We are a group of active, engaged and involved parents, students, school staff, and community members ready for action. We are united in our concern for the safety of ALL students, staff & administration at middle & high schools in Santa Rosa. Our goal is to continue to grow and increase in support through outreach.
We are collaborating to make a request and plea for school safety. ”Our immediate goal is reinstating the Safety Resource Officer program that was paused by the SRCS Board in 2020.”
Click here for the Safe Campus Alliance website
Return to top of pageWe are collaborating to make a request and plea for school safety. ”Our immediate goal is reinstating the Safety Resource Officer program that was paused by the SRCS Board in 2020.”
Click here for the Safe Campus Alliance website
* School District Performance *
If you’d like to examine how your school district performed but don’t know how to get started, take seven minutes to watch the latest Toolkit video from The Parent Union. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Tour provides an overview of how to use CAASPP’s online dashboard to explore student performance in your district and schools throughout the state.
If you haven’t visited the Parent Union website recently, there are many more resources available. Check out our toolkits to learn how to track legislation, run for school board, file a public records request, track political contributions to elected officials and more.
Return to top of pageIf you haven’t visited the Parent Union website recently, there are many more resources available. Check out our toolkits to learn how to track legislation, run for school board, file a public records request, track political contributions to elected officials and more.
* Home schooling *
Over the past six years, home schooling has surged by 51% — this is in stark contrast to the 7% rise in private school enrollment, and a 4% dip in public schools over the same period, according to an in-depth look at thousands of school districts spanning 32 states.
(Source: "The Washington Post")
The pandemic, with its sweeping disruptions to conventional schooling, undoubtedly served as a catalyst for this seismic shift. Schools across the country shuttered, forcing millions of families to grapple with remote learning and rethink the entire educational paradigm. Yet, as the pandemic wanes and schools reopen, shedding many of their COVID-19 constraints, the surge in home schooling has not only persisted, but flourished.
Sonoma County Homeschooling families collaborate to help find resources and share visits with students. Communicate with homeschooling families, teachers and friends via encrypted chat groups on Signal! Use our Contact page to send us a message and get connected!
‘We are parents & form ‘pods’ or school groups for all ages, with varying sources of curriculum and methods of homeschooling. We organize meet ups, share ideas, and are creating group atmospheres for students. We respect one another’s privacy and do not advertise any of this on social media. You may invite personal friends who align with our respect of parental right to educate our own children in the framework of “CA Private School” options.‘
Click here to submit a request to join Sonoma County Homeschool Pods on Signal
Return to top of page(Source: "The Washington Post")
The pandemic, with its sweeping disruptions to conventional schooling, undoubtedly served as a catalyst for this seismic shift. Schools across the country shuttered, forcing millions of families to grapple with remote learning and rethink the entire educational paradigm. Yet, as the pandemic wanes and schools reopen, shedding many of their COVID-19 constraints, the surge in home schooling has not only persisted, but flourished.
Sonoma County Homeschooling families collaborate to help find resources and share visits with students. Communicate with homeschooling families, teachers and friends via encrypted chat groups on Signal! Use our Contact page to send us a message and get connected!
‘We are parents & form ‘pods’ or school groups for all ages, with varying sources of curriculum and methods of homeschooling. We organize meet ups, share ideas, and are creating group atmospheres for students. We respect one another’s privacy and do not advertise any of this on social media. You may invite personal friends who align with our respect of parental right to educate our own children in the framework of “CA Private School” options.‘
Click here to submit a request to join Sonoma County Homeschool Pods on Signal
* Saturn scheduling app *
What if I told you there was a new app that let anyone easily look up names and social media accounts for local teenagers? Creepy much? That’s exactly what a new app called Saturn does. It’s also currently one of the top 15 iPhone apps on the App Store. Saturn is explicitly targeting high school students, not college attendees. Therefore, the majority of its users will be aged 14 through 18. Privacy should be the foundation of an app meant to only be used by teens.
(Source: "Saturn app falsely claims to only accept teen students")
Students can easily load their course schedule, get updates about the happenings in their school, and connect with other students in their classes. But there’s real danger in the fact it’s possible (despite the company’s recent verification feature) for someone to claim to be a student — and then get access to detailed information about kids that they could use to target your child. It’s likely that some kids may use the messaging feature of the app to cyberbully and harass other kids. Or use it to post generally inappropriate content. There are other calendar apps that can achieve the same thing without being digitally connected to your whole school in an app that has such a high possibility for predation. Privacy is not something highly valued on Saturn. Saturn does not have any parental controls, which is concerning considering it’s only supposed to be used by kids.
(Source: "Is Saturn Safe? A Saturn App Review for Parents")
Return to top of page(Source: "Saturn app falsely claims to only accept teen students")
Students can easily load their course schedule, get updates about the happenings in their school, and connect with other students in their classes. But there’s real danger in the fact it’s possible (despite the company’s recent verification feature) for someone to claim to be a student — and then get access to detailed information about kids that they could use to target your child. It’s likely that some kids may use the messaging feature of the app to cyberbully and harass other kids. Or use it to post generally inappropriate content. There are other calendar apps that can achieve the same thing without being digitally connected to your whole school in an app that has such a high possibility for predation. Privacy is not something highly valued on Saturn. Saturn does not have any parental controls, which is concerning considering it’s only supposed to be used by kids.
(Source: "Is Saturn Safe? A Saturn App Review for Parents")
* Santa Rosa Schools survey *
Parents!!! In Santa Rosa schools please opt your kids out of this survey asap!!! Our school board votes every year to spend thousands of dollars on the survey our children hate taking this survey parents generally are not told about the survey it’s emailed out in the newsletter on ParentSquare but unless you opt out they will take it this information follows your student every year throughout the district and it’s measured against their attendance whether they have an IEP what grade they’re in and all of their other personal information.
It’s also used to create new curriculum depending on how students answer these questions. It’s basically a way for certain people to get their political agenda into our schools. We need less surveys more academics and the only way we could stop this is to opt out!
Panorama Survey for Social Emotional Wellness: opt-out request
Panorama Education - Client Information Policy
Influence Watch - Panorama Education
Return to top of pageIt’s also used to create new curriculum depending on how students answer these questions. It’s basically a way for certain people to get their political agenda into our schools. We need less surveys more academics and the only way we could stop this is to opt out!
Panorama Survey for Social Emotional Wellness: opt-out request
Panorama Education - Client Information Policy
Influence Watch - Panorama Education
