In a Tuesday press conference with The Oracle staff, Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Don Austin cautioned it was “highly unlikely” secondary schools would be reopening due to Santa Clara County’s recent move into the purple tier of COVID-19 cases. According to Austin, middle...
Mia Knezevic, Forum Editor, Photo Editor and Oracle-SEC Liaison
• November 16, 2020
Over the weekend, Palo Alto High School students released a petition protesting Palo Alto Unified School District’s (PAUSD) decision to reopen middle and high schools. The petition follows a similar letter released by Gunn English, social studies and special education teachers on Friday.
As of...
This afternoon, English, social studies and special education teachers sent an open letter to Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Don Austin, Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Sharon Ofek, Director of Secondary Education Services Kathie Laurence and the Board of Education...
Last night, the school board voted unanimously to approve a hybrid reopening plan for middle and high schools. As such, students will have a week to choose either hybrid or distance learning for next semester through a form opening today and closing on Nov. 18. Here’s the breakdown between the two...
The Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) school board voted unanimously to approve the secondary schools reopening plan on Tuesday evening, despite vocal opposition from community members. Both student school board representatives voted against the plan.
The reopening plan will give students...
“LISTEN,” read the letters across the masks of protesters; chants of “stop the violence, no more silence!” echo outside the house of Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitan.
The socially distanced silent vigil and protest, which was held Sunday afternoon, came on the heels of Simitian voting...
On Sept. 20, President Donald Trump announced plans to ban Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat due to national security concerns; namely, Trump cited the concern that the Chinese government would steal American user data. These bans would largely affect Gunn students who use both apps as a method...
On Tuesday night—following hours of discussion among board members and over 60 mostly critical comments from community members—the PAUSD school board unanimously voted to approve the district’s reopening plan, allowing elementary schools to begin hybrid instruction starting on Oct. 12.
The...
Due to social distancing regulations, the annual club fair this year will undoubtedly be different. Traditionally, the club fair has been set up in the Senior Quad, giving students the opportunity to walk around and scout out clubs to join. This fall, however, the club application process, club fair...
Due to widespread school closures caused by COVID-19, the process of taking standardized tests has changed drastically. Since such tests are usually conducted at schools, many standardized testing dates have been cancelled or delayed, leading some colleges to shift towards a test-optional approach.
The...
In the midst of a socially-distanced school year—and at a time when students have fewer opportunities to form in-person connections with peers—wellness has increasingly become a priority. Given the absence of direct social interactions, the Wellness Center staff, the Student Executive Council (SEC)...
As of Sept. 8, Santa Clara County has moved from a “purple” to “red” status on the California COVID-19 monitoring system, a status that, if maintained for 14 days, could allow schools to reopen in the fall. However, district guidelines guarantee that schools will stay closed until Oct. 12—at...
