We believe that parents can and should play a vital role in the development and delivery of programs and policies related to our children's academic, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing, especially now, in the face of COVID-19. SB PLAN key policy areas include:
1. Expand Education and Outreach Among K-12 Families
2. Get Kids Back to School Safely
3. Improve Remote / Distance Learning
4. Address Funding Gaps
5. Ensure Equity
Expand Education and Outreach Among Families
We believe that the most significant near-term opportunity to improve the overall health and wellbeing of our community is through education and outreach. When families are better informed about the risks of COVID-19 and ways they can individually contribute to eradicating it, the sooner our community can get back to living their lives. No group is better suited to grassroots education and outreach than the network of parent leaders and volunteers already established at our K-12 schools.
Get Kids Back to School Safely
COVID-19 has everyone frightened. No one wants a family member to become ill, nor do they want to infect a teacher or school staff member/administrator. But we cannot lose sight of our shared goal to get our kids back into a physical classroom when safe. In-person learning is the optimal environment that can also address other social, emotional, and physical (athletic) needs. Parents want to play a role in informing these decisions through our diverse community of parent leaders and community partners and in helping to prepare for the eventual return to school.
Improve Remote / Distance Learning
Due to current infection rates, remote / distance learning is currently mandated for Santa Barbara County. We know from last spring that we have a long way to go to develop the kind of approach we need to engage students and deliver the quality of education we know the Board and Teachers are committed to providing. Unfortunately, a “one size fits all” approach also failed to consider the unique learning requirements of students in lower to upper-grade levels, individual learning differences, extraordinary circumstances inside the home, and technology demands. Students from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds suffered immeasurably from losing connection to other students and the decline of physical activity. Parents deserve the opportunity to inform ways we can ensure students have equitable access to education, consistent routine during the school day, a well-defined level of expectation for learning, and that appropriate academic, social, emotional, and physical needs are met.
Address Funding Gaps
No matter the vehicle (in-person or online), the cost of educating our children will significantly increase. We want to support our schools. We’re here to help. Utilize us to help raise money to support the increased demands on our schools and ensure a safe, effective, equitable school experience.
Ensure Equity
COVID-19 exacerbated the already significant disparities between certain socioeconomic and ethnic groups in our community. We are a diverse community of parent leaders whose members comprise a cross-section of neighborhoods, schools, ethnicities, and economy. We endeavor to understand the issues of ALL Santa Barbara families. We seek to find solutions for our community.
Call to Action for Public Officials and Leaders
> Give SB PLAN a “seat at the table” as we work together to solve the problems of the day.
> Commit to clearly-defined metrics to determine when our children can return to the classroom.
> Have a well-defined plan for the return to school that can be executed efficiently and quickly when the metrics for return have been met.
> Utilize SB PLAN leaders and volunteers to help schools reduce infection rates (through education and outreach); inform planning for curricula that address academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students; help cover financial shortfalls (through donations, fundraising); and ensure equity among families.
