Announcements

DNUSD and DNCOE Board Meetings 6-30-2022

Today's board meetings will not be live-streamed due to staffing shortages caused by COVID-19. The board meetings may still be watched on Zoom. The link for the zoom meeting is: https://dncoe.zoom.us/j/193445536

If you would like to attend the board meeting in person, it will take place at 301 W. Washington Blvd, Crescent City, CA 95531.

Schedule:

DNCOE Board Meeting Open Session:

2:30 PM

DNUSD Board Meeting Closed Session:

3:30 PM

DNUSD Board Meeting Public Session:

4:30 PM

In order to participate in public comment, please follow these instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Hdaa_dV_4GSewjjkeIUO0vlHvLU5-PKHJ5kHUCheXE/

The board meeting agenda can be viewed at: https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/SB_MeetingListing.aspx?S=36030752

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Monday Update to the Community 6-27-2022

Good Afternoon, I’m Jeff Harris, Superintendent of Schools for Del Norte County, and this is the final Monday update for this school year.

Outdoor Equity Program Grant Awarded to Del Norte County

I’d like to start with some pretty exciting news. Del Norte County has been selected to receive one of only 125 grants funded through the California State Parks Outdoor Equity program. The Greater Outdoor Access and Learning (GOAL) grant is a partnership between the Del Norte County Office of Education, Redwoods State and National Parks, Redwoods Parks Conservancy, and the Del Norte Unified School District and was written with the input of students and community members.

This grant will provide three years of year-round opportunities for youth, families, and senior community members to explore and experience the numerous state, national, and local parks and recreation areas throughout Del Norte County and provide opportunities that many of our community members may not otherwise experience. Other benefits brought about by the grant include a portable outdoor education classroom, connecting youth with job pathways and career and technical education, enhancing community service and engagement by youth, and developing future leaders in our community. We anticipate beginning programs by the end of September 2022.

Graduation and Promotion Ceremonies

We had a fantastic time celebrating our students' accomplishments during our promotion and graduation ceremonies during the last week of school. If you missed an event or just wanted to see it again, all 8-12th grade end-of-year promotion ceremonies and graduations were photographed and recorded and can be found on the front page of each school’s website. You can find links to all of our school websites at dnusd.org/schools. If you have any questions, please contact our communications department by emailing communications@dnusd.org or by calling our communications help hotline at 707-464-6143.

Summer Programs

It’s almost time for our summer programs! If you registered your child for one of our summer programs, you will receive an email from the District next week letting you know your child’s final program assignments. You will also receive a call from your child’s summer teacher before the program begins. Just a reminder that our first summer program starts on Monday, July 11, and the second session begins on Monday, August 1. For more information, you can visit dnusd.org/summer for more information.

Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten Registration

If you have a child who will be entering transitional kindergarten or kindergarten in August, I’d like to encourage you to enroll them as soon as possible. We are creating new TK spaces, arranging kindergarten rooms, and working to staff kindergarten classes next year, and we want to make sure that we are planning the best programs possible. To register your child, you can contact any of our schools or the district office for more information.

Employee Celebration Event 2022 - Sponsors

Finally, I know that you’re already aware of the annual employee celebration event that takes place at the end of each May, but what you may not know is that many of our local businesses sponsor this event to help recognize the outstanding achievements of our staff and celebrate those retiring. I’d like to take a moment to personally thank each business for their donations. If you’d like to know more about our sponsors, so that you can support them, check out the program guide and sponsor information at dnusd.org/employeecelebration.

That's it for this week’s update. We hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer, and I look forward to the first update of the new school year on Monday, August 1st.

Thank you

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Monday Update to the Community 6-13-2022

Good Afternoon, I’m Jeff Harris, Superintendent of Schools for Del Norte County. Before I do the normal weekly update, I’d like to share with you personally some information about the rumors of an active shooter at Crescent Elk.

This morning, police dispatch received a call suggesting that there was a threat of a shooting, and the lockdown at Crescent Elk and Joe Hamilton was initiated as a precautionary measure. Contrary to what may have been posted on social media, there were no active incidents at either school, no one was found with a gun, and no shots were fired. The incident began with an altercation between youth off campus earlier in the week, and there were some social media posts following the altercation regarding retaliation. The youth involved, who were nowhere near either school, were located by law enforcement, prior to the lockdown being lifted, and it was determined that there was no threat to the school or students. For more information, please visit the Crescent City Police Department website and Facebook page.

I'd like to thank and commend the Crescent Elk and Joe Hamilton staff on their rapid response to the lockdown called by our SRO, Officer Sanders. I'd also like to publicly thank all of our local law enforcement agencies for their quick response, as well. Within two minutes of the initial call to dispatch both schools were secured and officers were on site, with Chief Griffin taking command.

I would also like to thank the parents and family members who came to the schools out of concern for their children and staff but who respectfully allowed law enforcement to ensure the safety of everyone prior to lifting the lockdown. If your child is concerned about attending school next week, please reach out to the school. Counselors will be available.

Upcoming Announcements

Well, I can hardly believe it is already the last week of school. This week is packed with events taking place across the district, we have a few updates for you.

Dates to Remember

Just a reminder that this Thursday, June 16th, is the last day of school, and I also want to make sure you know that every day this entire week is a minimum day for all K-12 students.

Graduation and Promotion Ceremonies

If you are looking for the schedule for our upcoming K-8 promotion ceremonies and high school graduations taking place across the county, please visit each school’s website where that information is posted. We will also live-stream all-district 8th grade moving up ceremonies and high school graduation ceremonies. These live streams will only be available on each school’s website, they will not be available on Facebook or Youtube. You can find links to all of our school web pages at dnusd.org/schools. If you have any questions, please contact our communications department by emailing communications@dnusd.org or by calling our communications help hotline at 707-464-6143.

Summer Programs

Registration for our summer programs is now open. If you have not yet registered your child for one of our summer programs take a look at the programs being offered, you can visit our home page at dnusd.org and click on the summer programs banner for more information. You can also directly access the signups form at dnusd.org/summer.

Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten Registration

If you have a child who will be entering transitional kindergarten or kindergarten in August, I’d like to encourage you to enroll them as soon as possible. We are creating new TK spaces, arranging kindergarten rooms, and working to staff kindergarten classes next year, and we want to make sure that we are planning the best programs possible. To register your child, you can contact any of our schools or the district office for more information.

That's it for this week’s update, we hope you have a great week, and we’ll see you next Monday for our special update on the last week of school.

Thank you

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Joe Hamilton and Crescent Elk Lockdown Final Update - 3:58 PM 6/10/2022

Good afternoon, I’m Jeff Harris, Superintendent of Schools for Del Norte County.

As you know, today we had lockdowns at Crescent Elk and Joe Hamilton. The lockdowns were called by our school resource officer, Officer Sanders, in response to a call to dispatch. Given the information, at the time, the lockdowns were put into place as a precautionary measure. Within two minutes of calling the precautionary lockdown, the staff at both schools had completely secured the campuses, and law enforcement had taken full command at both sites. The Crescent Elk and Joe Hamilton staff did an amazing job responding quickly and ensuring the safety of our students.

The incident that led to the lockdown was ultimately found to have stemmed from an altercation in the community between youth earlier this week, which led to the posting of threats on social media. Both youths were located and questioned by law enforcement, and no substantiated threats were found against either school. Reports of an active shooter, shots being fired, or students with guns are not accurate.

As always in situations like this, conversations travel on social media more quickly than facts can be accurately relayed. When a situation like this occurs, the most accurate and up-to-date information can be found first on law enforcement pages and through school district communications. School information is released as quickly as it is verified and allowed to be released by law enforcement.

I’d like to thank all of our law enforcement partners for their quick responses and support for students and staff. I’d especially like to thank our school resource officer, Officer Sanders, who initiated the lockdown, and Chief Griffin, who led command of the situation. Both stayed throughout the situation and remained after the lockdown to talk to parents, students, and families about what actually happened.

I’d also like to thank the families who heard from their children or through social media about the situation and came to the school to make sure that their child was safe. Every person who came was respectful and allowed law enforcement and school officials to ensure that processes and protocols were followed to keep our students and staff safe.

While some may wonder why the decision was made to lock down a school over a threat, the choice of law enforcement and the district will always be to place the safety of students and staff first.

Thank you

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