April 26, 2022 Superintendent's Remarks

Listen to the April 26, 2022 Superintendent's Remarks

Good evening, 

In April we celebrate the rich and diverse culture and contributions of the diverse population of Arab Americans. National Arab American Heritage Month has been observed during the month of April since 2017.

An estimated 3.7 million Americans have Arab roots, according to the Arab American Institute, with ancestries traced to 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others. 

In SFUSD we honor our Arab American students and families.

The week of May 1 through May 8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and here at SFUSD we celebrate the teachers we have in San Francisco public schools –– not only during Teacher Appreciation Week –– but all year long. Teachers are masterful at both teaching and learning, constantly growing and evolving as professionals. They handle challenges with grace and joy, committed to having a positive impact on their students' lives. My teachers at Grattan, Hoover and McAteer molded me into who I am today. To all San Francisco teachers I want to say: thank you for your commitment to our students every day and especially in the hardest of times. Thank you for bringing your professional and personal best to ensure each and every student receives the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

School Lunch Hero Day is Friday, May 6. It’s time to remind our food heroes and sheroes how special they are. Please join me in saying THANK YOU to all our Student Nutrition Dining Staff at our Elementary, Middle, and High schools; the staff serving meals to Early Education students, and our food Delivery Drivers!! They have worked so hard to keep students nourished in school and ready to learn, showing up every day in service of helping students thrive inside and outside the classroom!

Today I was honored to join Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor London Breed, and City Treasurer Jose Cisneros to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of San Francisco’s Kindergarten to College Program. K2C automatically opens a savings account seeded with $50 in public funds for every child entering kindergarten in SF’s public schools, putting students on a path to college from their first day of school. K2C is the first universal Child Savings Account program in the country and has been replicated at 123 active College Savings Account programs reaching more than 1.2 million children in 39 states. As of today, it has helped San Francisco Unified School District students save $11 million dollars in their Kindergarten to College accounts! By giving children the opportunity to save for college at such a young age, this program is helping students and families continue through their educational journey knowing that college is possible for them, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Health and safety remains our top priority. SFUSD continues to align health and safety policy and is in compliance with state and local public health guidelines.

SFUSD continues to update our COVID Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the district website.  Recent updates include the CDPH/SFDPH Schools Guidance for mega-events , whereby proof of vaccination card or a negative COVID test is no longer required for mega-events, defined as events with a thousand people or more.   We have also updated guidelines for field trips.

You can find these on our district website under COVID FAQs.

Schools will be receiving Rapid Home Test kits this week to distribute to students.. Be sure to look for a notice from your school about the distribution. This will be the last test kit distribution of the school year.