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Laguna Beach Unified School District
Community Newsletter
IT’S A WRAP
| Board meeting highlights, district news, and upcoming events for the Laguna Beach community. | | Two students greet each other with a hug on the first day of school at El Morro Elementary School. | | STUDENT WELLNESS & BELONGING | | LBUSD introduces new tool to better understand and support every student | | |
AT A GLANCE
- A new dashboard brings together academic performance, attendance, and student information in one place.
- Student profiles include personal strengths, interests, learning preferences, goals, and connections to trusted adults at school.
- The tool will help teachers and school staff strengthen student connections and tailor support, with implementation occurring in phases during the 2026–27 school year.
| | At the Oct. 22 meeting, the Board received an overview of the Learner Profile Dashboard: Student Story, developed to support the district's goal of strengthening student mental health, wellness, and belonging. Following initial pilots and feedback from school teams, LBUSD is introducing the tool in phases this school year, with plans to use insights from student profiles to inform broader decisions about academic support, enrichment opportunities, and school programs. | |
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STUDENT WELLNESS & BELONGING | Thurston reduces chronic absenteeism through early intervention | |
Thurston Middle School shared how its focus on early intervention and personalized family outreach helped reduce chronic absenteeism from 14.2% in 2021–22 to 7.2% in 2025–26. Through weekly attendance reviews, earlier contact with families, and individual support plans, staff worked to identify and address barriers that kept students from school.
The school's next goal is to reduce chronic absenteeism below 5%, with additional attention to students who continue to experience higher rates of absence.
| LBHS theatre brings mystery and comedy to the stage with Clue | |
Laguna Beach High School theatre students will bring Clue: High School Edition to the stage this fall, a fast-paced comedy based on the classic board game and cult favorite film. Set during a mysterious dinner party at Boddy Manor, the production follows six colorful suspects as they race to solve a murder before the body count rises.
The Oct. 30 performance at 7 p.m. will feature a special $5 student ticket offer with promo code WHODUNNIT. The production includes simulated gunshots, flashing lights and prop weapons.
| Coast Film Festival brings environmental storytelling to LBUSD students | |
Students across all four LBUSD schools connected with guest speakers from the Coast Film Festival this week, hearing stories of environmental advocacy, exploration, and adventure ahead of the annual festival in Laguna Beach. What began years ago at Laguna Beach High School through its FLOW (Fire, Land, Ocean and Water) program has grown into a districtwide experience that connects students with filmmakers, environmental advocates and real-world perspectives beyond the classroom.
As part of this year's activities, Thurston Middle School students spent Friday at the Festival of Arts grounds for an Environmental Stewardship Day hosted by the Coast Film Festival, extending the learning experience into the broader Laguna Beach community.
| STUDENT WELLNESS & BELONGING | Board hears presentation on bullying prevention and ability awareness | The Board received an informational presentation from Shadi Pourkashef, executive director of the Ability Awareness Project, on the organization's approach to bullying prevention, which addresses the experiences of students who are bullied, those who witness bullying, and those who engage in it. The presentation outlined a communitywide approach that involves students, school staff, and families, along with a 25-week Guided Kindness Program designed to promote empathy and positive relationships across school campuses. The item was presented for information and discussion. | | Superintendent's Student Advisory Council shares priorities with Board | |
Members of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council shared an update with the Board on their work with Superintendent Don Austin, Ed.D. The students outlined a process that began with identifying issues important to their peers, followed by discussions to prioritize areas for further study.
Two areas of focus emerged: the experience of the “steady learner,” a student who may not need academic intervention but does not necessarily pursue the most advanced academic pathways, and the role of class rankings at Laguna Beach High School. The council will continue exploring the experience of the steady learner and return to the Board with an update on its review of class rankings at LBHS.
| Board reviews potential employee retirement incentive program | |
The Board received an informational presentation on how a voluntary retirement incentive program through Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS) could work for LBUSD. The proposed program would offer eligible teachers, classified employees and administrators an additional retirement benefit while potentially reducing long-term personnel costs through voluntary departures.
Implementation would depend on employee participation, potential cost savings and the district's financial and operational objectives. The proposal will return to the Board for consideration and possible approval.
| This week’s Superintendent’s Weekly Update highlights districtwide collaboration in response to PCH traffic changes, progress on the pool modernization project, digital citizenship education, and student perspectives on youth sports shared during the latest Take Back the Game discussion. Read these stories and other updates from across LBUSD. | Watch the October 22 meeting | The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is on November 12, 2026. Visit lbusd.org/board for more information. | | | | | |
