Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

School board votes to suspend public comment via Zoom for next three meetings

School board votes to suspend public comment via Zoom for next three meetings

Amann Mahajan, Editor-in-Chief October 20, 2023

During a special meeting on Friday, the PAUSD school board voted 3 to 1 — with member Todd Collins absent — to suspend public commenting on Zoom for the next three meetings. Any extensions of the suspension will require further discussion and another vote. The decision comes as a preventative...

Board of Education Shapes Policy

Board of Education Shapes Policy

Michelle Koo, News Editor, Graphics Artist October 31, 2022

With the duty of oversight and governance, the Palo Alto Board of Education deals with affairs regarding the school community, including: budgets, new curricular adoptions and superintendent supervision. The board is a group of five elected individuals who meet every second and fourth Tuesday of the...

Update: Superintendent Don Austin announces new plan potentially reopening middle school, high school campuses by early March

Update: Superintendent Don Austin announces new plan potentially reopening middle school, high school campuses by early March

The Oracle Staff February 9, 2021

Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Superintendent Don Austin announced a revised reopening proposal at Tuesday night’s school board meeting that could have 7th to 12th grade students returning to classrooms as soon as early March. For students to be able to return in-person, Austin said, Santa...

English, social studies and special education teachers release open letter asking PAUSD board to reconsider reopening plan

English, social studies and special education teachers release open letter asking PAUSD board to reconsider reopening plan

Jessica Wang, Editor-in-Chief November 13, 2020

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...

Karna Nisewaner

Karna Nisewaner

Sophia Stern, Business Manager, Social Media Editor November 12, 2020

Karna Nisewaner, a parent of two elementary school students in the district and former Chair of the Palo Alto Community Child Care board, is running for the School Board this November on a platform of district transparency. Nisewaner decided to run after feeling dissatisfied by the school board’s...

PAUSD school board unanimously votes to approve middle and high school reopening plan despite community concerns

PAUSD school board unanimously votes to approve middle and high school reopening plan despite community concerns

The Oracle Staff November 11, 2020

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...

Editorial: We can do better. The school board should vote no on reopening elementary schools.

Editorial: We can do better. The school board should vote “no” on reopening elementary schools.

September 28, 2020

Given both the disproportionately large number of elementary school teachers reluctant to return to campus and the safety concerns surrounding reopening campuses, The Oracle urges the school board to vote tomorrow against reopening all school campuses until it is safe. This editorial comes in response...

Update: Santa Clara county one step closer to school reopenings

Update: Santa Clara county one step closer to school reopenings

Julianna Chang, Catherine Chu and Nikki Suzani September 8, 2020

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...

graphic by Jocelyn Wang

District required to implement later school start times by 2022

Nikki Suzani, Managing Editor December 6, 2019

On Oct. 11, 2019, a bill that mandated high schools to start at 8:30 a.m. or later and middle schools to start at 8:00 a.m. or later was signed into law by governor Gavin Newsom. Although Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) middle schools are in compliance with this new law, Gunn’s schedule...

Audrey Tseng

EDITORIAL: Lowering voting age in school board elections to 16 would promote student voice, engagement

Staff Opinion September 20, 2019

This summer, the non-profit organization “Vote16 Palo Alto” launched a campaign calling for the voting age in local school board elections to be lowered to 16. The petition comes as teenagers in Palo Alto—as in most other cities across the nation—cannot vote in any elections, school board...

Palo Alto Weekly co-hosts school board candidate forum with student journalists

Palo Alto Weekly co-hosts school board candidate forum with student journalists

Natalie McCurdy, Tech Editor October 3, 2018

The Palo Alto Art Center housed the first school board forum of the 2018 school board election, hosted by the Palo Alto Weekly and co-sponsored by Gunn and Paly student publications on Sept. 20. The debate showcased five of the six candidates, excluding Christopher Boyd, running for the Palo Alto Unified...

PAUSD school board candidates begin campaign process

PAUSD school board candidates begin campaign process

Elisa Moraes-Liu, News Editor September 7, 2018

Written by Elisa Moraes-Liu In the past few months, six candidates have declared candidacy for the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education elections. The PAUSD school board has five members who are elected by the public every four years. Elections occur on even years,...

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