March 8, 2022 Superintendent's Remarks

Rapid Test Kits Link to this section

We have a supply of rapid home test kits that will be distributed to school and central offices beginning at the end of this week. Distribution should be completed in advance of spring break.

Each student and SFUSD staff member has allocated two test kits. Most test kits have two tests (antigen) and a small number of test kits will have one test (molecular). Both test kits are rapid home test kits.

School sites have access to a family outreach toolkit, and we are encouraging students and staff to take the test before returning from spring break. Please look out for additional messaging in the Family Announcement Bulletin on March 10.

This week, March 7 to 11, is National School Social Worker Week, a time to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school social workers. In SFUSD, we know that school social workers are essential. They seek to ensure equitable education opportunities for all students; ensure that students are safe, healthy and ready to learn; and promote respect and dignity for all students and families.

SFUSD’s school social worker to student ratio is lowest among California public schools, thanks in large part to San Francisco Public Education Enrichment Fund (PEEF). SFUSD employs 15% of California public school school social workers, but makes up less than 1% of California public school students. I hope you will find ways to appreciate your school social worker during this nationally recognized week of celebration.

This week we are also celebrating National School Breakfast Week. Students do better in school when they have access to healthy breakfasts, and at SFUSD we are
committed to providing this essential nutrition to all students who need it. To celebrate National School Breakfast Week, Student Nutrition Services is partnering with Bay Area based Non-Profit Conscious Kitchen to highlight the Good Food Purchasing Program and serve a 100% organic school breakfast. Schools across the SFUSD are featuring organic breakfast items, like yogurt and fruit, throughout the week.

This morning I ate breakfast with students at Bryant Elementary today, and I can tell you that the food is delicious!

Happy International Women’s Day. Around the world, millions of people celebrate Women’s History Month in March. Tonight, I want to share some of the ways San Francisco public schools have celebrated and uplifted women, and gender diversity, in recent years.

At Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 computer science and tech classes are learning about women in computer science and STEM. A group of kindergarten and 4th grade girls called Tech Queens have met after class to build community and talk about tech and perseverance. Elementary school students learned about a woman who broke barriers to achieve her dreams. These women include NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and engineer Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first African American woman to go to space.