#waiverup Newport Mesa School District

I'm so HAPPY to report some GOOD NEWS that last night 9/10 in the special board meeting it was voted in favor of the WAIVER. Expect an update at next week's board meeting on their progress. I want to THANK everyone for signing, banding together, emailing their trutee and other school officials. We were HEARD and the process WORKED.

Also Start date is 9/29 for K-2, 10/1 for 3-6 and 10/12 for 7-12 as the superintendent proposed voted on and passed 7-0. Look out for details from your school's principal. Subject to union approval.

Please email your NMUSD rep/ trustee. See http://web.nmusd.us/board for directory with emails. They are considering WAIVER but we need to FLOOD their emails in SUPPORT.

Dear Trustee ______ and the Newport-Mesa Board of Education,

My name is _______ and I am the parent of ____, a _____ grade student at _____ Elementary, and ________, a ____ grade student at _______ Elementary. I am writing to voice my SUPPORT for our district to return to in person learning on September 22 with DAILY instruction. It is clear that distance learning instruction is NOT what is best for children. They need in person learning with paper and pencil tasks, hands on experiences, social interaction and collaboration, and little to no screen time! Our local private schools have been given the choice and so should we! Do what's best for students and open schools! Petition in support of waivers can be viewed at: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/waiverup-hve

Thank you,
_____________

9/8 Recent info indicates NMUSD is considering waiver as a long-term solution, but needs to hear more from community especially in Costa Mesa (1,2,7,6).

9/8 Closed session UNION MEETING, awaiting any information
By 9/11 NMUSD annoucement expected re reopening date
9/15 NMUSD board meeting scheduled

Based on above, we will decide if a peaceful demonstration in SUPPORT of WAIVER is needed. Join FB @ Open OC Schools for updates / community forum

NMUSD Meeting on 9/3 waivers discussed but school said it would not pursue based on potential reopening date of 9/22 and waiting period for waiver review of 2-weeks. Obviously lots of hurdles with unions, but to sit back and lose this time? Could be very costly to us as waiver is our best way to ensure continuity of school and we really have no assurances from our government that situation won't change again. In two short weeks since I created this we went from a County Watch List system with potential reopening of 9/8 to 4-tiered color system which pushed us back to 9/28. Can we really hang our hats on this while private and charter schools conduct in-person education.

Our issue and letter to NMUSD is published in Stu News Newport as a letter to editor. Let us not stop until we have concrete plans from the district on reopening. We owe this to our children. 515 signatures and counting https://stunewsnewport.com/index.php/letters

Thank you all for signing: petition remains active. On 9/2/20, I emailed it to several NMUSD Board members as well as our Superintendent (ahead of the meeting on 9/3). I'll share any response as soon as it is received. I also sent to Stu News Newport and OC Register writers who reported on school delays. Copy of email: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12YtYFUKynnQLEjHBLGONDHFlhC9bNAqpvTxWbn8z0PA/edit?usp=sharing

If anyone has any further ideas, e.g. protests or other methods (such as those used to squash/ reverse NMUSD 4x4 plans for HS), please send me a message. I have created a FB Group called @Open OC Schools (please join) and am open to exploring community efforts such mass testing (#occovidneg) to effect our test positivity status/ drive it below 5%, a key metric in the new four-tiered system. We are nearly out of purple (lowest status) to red, but we can progress further to open more. Let's beat this OC and get our kids back in school and businesses open!