La Jolla schools in San Diego Unified report big attendance drops on district’s optional mental health day
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The La Jolla campus in the San Diego Unified School District reported a sharp drop in attendance on Nov. 12 during the optional district mental health day for students, reflecting numbers across the district.
Jeff Luna, director of Muirlands Middle School, told La Jolla Light that only 122 of the 729 students attended, or 16.7 percent.
Stephanie Hasselbrink, director of La Jolla Elementary School, said 201 of the 442 students (45.5 percent) attended.
At Torrey Pines Elementary School, principal Nona Richard said there were 237 excused absences, or 50.7 percent of students. Those who took the optional day off were asked to state a “District Approved Mental Health Day” as the reason for their absence.
Headmasters Chuck Podhorsky of La Jolla High School and Andi Frost of Bird Rock Elementary School did not respond to requests for information.
District-wide, San Diego Unified estimated that 48.7 percent of its approximately 97,000 students attended school that day.
District officials cited the day off as recognition of the stress of returning to face-to-face learning amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Several employees were also missing at some SDUSD locations. At one high school, about a dozen teachers were absent, with five deputies, according to the San Diego Unified Teachers Union.
The district did not provide any information on staff shortages.
Overall, educators didn’t teach anything new during the day because they didn’t want students who stayed at home to miss classes, said Kisha Borden, president of the teachers’ union.
Hasselbrink agreed, saying, “Our teachers had no intention of teaching new content that day as we knew that many of our students would be absent from school on Friday. Many teachers planned mindfulness / yoga / physical activities … community building events, slumber days, and other fun and / or wellness-related activities for their students. ”
“I heard that some non-school students were vaccinated, rested, enjoyed extra family time or went on a short excursion,” added Hasselbrink.
On November 4, San Diego Unified Interim Superintendent Lamont Jackson announced that he would have a day off for all students and staff on November 12, the day after the Veterans Day holidays.
But his announcement quickly drew backlash from some parents who said it was too last minute to find childcare for the day.
Jackson’s plan also sparked speculation from staff and parents, who suspected the district was using Mental Health Day as a cover for a potential severe staff shortage, as many employees had made plans to take the day off.
A day after Jackson announced Mental Health Day for All, Jackson changed his mind, saying November 12 was an optional day off for students.
At a school council meeting on November 9th, he apologized for the confusion and said he recommended that Mental Health Day “focus on the wellbeing of everyone in our district.”
“Unfortunately, I acknowledge that those good intentions did more harm than good,” said Jackson. “Our parents have a right to have our schools there for them when they need us.”
Richard said the optional student day “went very smoothly for all staff and students” at Torrey Pines Elementary. “The flexibility of the day ensured that all needs were met.”
Luna said he was “recognized that our students and their families had the opportunity to attend a mental health day. Our students and staff who were on campus had a wonderful day. “
San Diego Unified is expected to lose its state funding slightly due to the day’s absences, as public schools receive funding based on student attendance. ◆
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