School Culture and Climate Update

Letter from the Superintendent

Dear Los Gatos-Saratoga Community,

As we wrap up the first three months of the school year, we thank you for your partnership and support as we all work together to keep our students, staff, and community safe during our return to in-person learning. There is tremendous excitement and energy in the classrooms that comes from being together again, which is inspiring.

We would like to take a moment to provide our community with an update on our efforts to create a safe and positive school culture and climate. While we recognize that there is a long road ahead to reach our vision, we are very proud of the dedication and commitment of our students, staff, teachers and leadership to these efforts. We will continue to celebrate the gains we make along the way, knowing well that the challenges ahead will require our unwavering commitment, as well as partnership with our students, staff, and community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Grove

Superintendent



Overview: Our Commitment to a Culture of Diversity, Equity, Respect and Compassion

In the spring of 2020, we heard the voices of current and former students calling upon us to do more to ensure that our schools are free from discrimination, sexual harassment and assault, and bullying. These are deeply rooted social issues that exist in our local and national communities and, unfortunately, also play themselves out on our campuses at times. While we alone cannot solve these difficult cultural issues, LGSUHSD renewed our commitment and efforts to prevent these issues on our campuses.

The Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District is on a path to create school climates that nurture safe, welcoming learning environments. Our progress has been significant, but our work continues. Confronting and challenging bullying, sexual harassment and assault, and discrimination in all forms is powerful and important work.

By committing to create school climates and cultures that are positive for all students and staff, we are committing to teach our students to:



• Recognize negative and unacceptable behaviors
• Call it out
• Advocate for themselves and others
• Be a force for positive change

Teaching our students to create communities that embrace diversity, equity, respect and compassion is preparing our students to be successful leaders in the future.

Our Leadership, Our Promise and Our Policies

Our Board of Trustees has set the tone for reflection, change, and making key investments in our staff and leadership team. “Through listening and working in partnership with our students, parents, staff and community, we continue to take bold steps as a district. When our district was named #1 in California for leading on SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality and graduation rates, we also accepted this as a call to action to one day lead on positive school culture, emulating best practices on challenging bullying, sexual harassment and assault, discrimination,” said Board President David Guidry.

Here are several significant actions driven by our Board of Trustees over the last year:

• The District has reviewed/revised policies and administrative regulations to clarify and amplify district-wide expectations, including those related to sexual harassment, non-discrimination in employment policies, among others.

• The District-wide Extracurricular Code of Conduct has been evaluated and updated to reflect our priorities and values.

• The Board of Trustees has invested in critical, new positions, programs and resources to ensure focused leadership and the means to do this important work. These will be further elaborated upon in the sections to follow.

• An oversight process to ensure accountability has been created to monitor progress and sustain momentum.

Staff Capacity Building and

Professional Development

Our team is always at the heart of our success. Over the course of the last year, the District has implemented extensive training and professional development initiatives, improved hiring practices to explicitly address attitudes towards inclusivity, equity and compassion, and dedicated leadership to address our priorities. Every employee in the district is receiving training to help create and nurture positive school environments for all. Below are several key highlights:

Investment in Leadership

Over the last year, we made several changes in our district leadership to focus more time and attention on ensuring safe and positive school climates and cultures for our students and staff. Mr. Heath Rocha, our Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, has led the district’s response to concerns about school climate and safety, resulting in key initiatives including educational modules and tiered interventions for individual students and all students such as the WeTip anonymous reporting system, dedicated instructional time for student lessons and activities on topics such as sexual assault/assault prevention, bullying/cyberbullying, suicide prevention, academic stress, integrity and diversity and inclusion. It is especially inspiring that he was able to introduce and implement many of these initiatives during remote learning. And, as we begin the new school year, Mr. Rocha has also expanded these supports to include Wellness Centers at each site that will provide physical and mental health interventions, substance abuse resources and other services.  

Last year we added dedicated Title IX expertise to our Student Services team when we hired Ms. Megan Farrell as our Equity and Title IX Coordinator. In this role, Ms. Farrell is focused on:

• Working with District leadership on improving key policies and practices 

• Staff training and capacity building 

• Empowering students

• Initiating a Student Climate and Culture Committee to address Student Communication, Access to Title IX Process, Student Trainings on Title IX topics, etc.

• Community engagement and partnerships

• Co-facilitating the Superintendent’s School Climate and Culture Committee 

In addition, our team has engaged in a number of listening sessions with interested groups across campus, including members of student organizations.  Additional sessions are planned in the coming months. Ms. Farrell also worked with our Student Services staff to provide a comprehensive student training program focused on avoiding bullying, harassment, and discrimination in all its forms. In addition, training for student athletes and student club members are being instituted to address the unique risks associated with these education activities.

In the summer of 2021, we hired Dr. Jamal Splane in the newly created position of Director of School Culture, Climate and Curriculum and Instruction.  Dr. Splane joins our district from Oak Grove School District in San Jose.  Going into his twenty-third year in education, Dr. Splane has served in a variety of leadership positions including school psychologist, Director of Student Services/Special Education, and six years as principal of Bernal Intermediate School in Oak Grove. This new position and the hiring of Dr. Splane provides dedicated leadership and expertise to our efforts related to school climate and culture. Effectively addressing issues of climate and culture, including issues of bullying, sexual harassment and assault, and discrimination requires ongoing long term education and prevention efforts that are regularly integrated into our curriculum and this requires the expertise, passion, and dedicated leadership that Dr. Splane brings to our district. 

INTRODUCING DR. JAMAL SPLANE,

DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CULTURE, CLIMATE AND

CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION HERE:

Title IX Compliance, Prevention and Response Training

The Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District is working to create and maintain a school culture that develops accountability while supporting and encouraging the reporting of Title IX misconduct. Together, we have taken a multi-tiered approach with both students and employees to educate, prevent, and respond to Title IX Reports.

Education: Every student and the employees who coach or advise extra-curricular activities  within the district has been provided training focusing on Title IX compliance, prevention, and response. Training has covered the following areas:

• Conduct that is prohibited
• Pathways for reporting
• Supportive measures available for parties in the Title IX process
• Investigation and resolution process

Additionally, all employees were trained on the fundamentals of Title IX and learned how to a report sexual harassment and connect students with resources. This included tips about what to say, what not to say, leading with kindness, listening without judgment, and reporting to the Title IX Coordinator immediately.

Students have learned about the resources provided by LGSUHSD, including the confidential and supportive options through the Wellness Centers at each school. 

Prevention: A significant focus of the student and employee training has been creating a culture of accountability. The concept of accountability is broken down into three phases:

1. Setting the speed limits (behavioral expectations) for yourself, your peers, and your teams/clubs;
2. Calling out behavior that exceeds the speed limits, with a goal of accountability by peers, teams, and clubs even prior to intervention from teachers, coaches, and/or administrators; and
3. Praising positive behaviors and actions by peers, teammates, and club members.

During prevention training for students, we also focus on safe and effective by-stander intervention techniques, including enabling students to identify a concerning situation and think creatively about how to safely and efficiently respond.



Response: While we seek an environment through prevention and education in which no student or employee is ever subjected to sexual harassment or assault, we must prepare employees to respond if it does occur, whether this occurs on or off of our campuses. Thus, we have worked to ensure that employees understand their responsibilities under the Title IX regulations as well as expectations set by the district. Ultimately, effective response leads to successful prevention and support.

MEET BETSY SMITH, TITLE IX EXPERT

AT INSTITUTIONAL COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS:

Supporting and Empowering Students

LGSUHSD is committed to helping our students trust the power of their voice and the importance of standing up for themselves and for others, as well as to teaching and modeling the power of speaking up for justice. Working in partnership with our students, listening to their needs, and providing platforms for their leadership and ideas, we have developed many new initiatives, some of which are shared here:

Wellness Centers and Services

Featuring Marina Barnes, Saratoga High School Wellness Center Staff

The mission of our Wellness Centers is to improve the health, well-being, and educational outcomes of our students through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the provision of coordinated, early intervention health, mental health, substance abuse and other support services.

These centers are staffed by CASSY providers and in-house lead therapists. Dedicated School Resource Aides serve as outreach workers to provide a consistent presence in the Wellness Centers to connect with students, manage referrals, coordinate with other key community partners and services as needed. These centers provide confidential support and resources for students.

Talk Space is another new program on our campuses, which provides access for every student and staff member to a licensed therapist, including messaging therapy and live video sessions. This platform strives to make therapy more accessible and less stigmatic.

Get to Know Mariana Cozzella, Los Gatos High School Wellness Coordinator

RIR Protocol for Compassionate Dialogue

We are committed to teaching our students to actively contribute to a school community structured around equity, inclusion and belonging by providing them with tools, skills and opportunities for dialogue.

The RIR Protocol for Compassionate Dialogue (Recognize It, Interrupt It and Repair It) is a key tool that we have introduced to our LGSUHSD community and will continue to build upon. Through the RIR Protocol, students gain a common vocabulary and critical skills to productively discuss issues of diversity, equity and inclusion while engaging in self-reflective activities to examine themselves, their peer groups, the school environment, and our broader community. 

Some of the themes include:

• Understanding Microaggressions
• Exploring Implicit Bias
• Affirming the Experiences of Others
• Empowering Students as Equity Leaders

Restorative Justice

LGSUHSD is helping students, faculty, and administrators build and sustain community, and effectively navigate and resolve challenges together. Restorative Justice (RJ) is both a philosophy and set of practices that prioritize the well-being of the community and the relationships between its members. Human beings are inextricably linked, yet have diverse identities and lived experiences that shape their worldview and how they behave and navigate conflict. This sometimes results in community members experiencing and causing harm, whether the harm was intended or not.

RJ also represents a set of perspectives that are grounded in core values that support individuals and a community in leading with their best selves in difficult situations and conversations. Restorative practices support people in building a community that is worth restoring so people are willing to convene and collaborate when they face challenges. Circle practices, conferences, and restorative coaching help individuals and groups unpack the distinction between intent and impact, seek to understand the needs that exist when a member of the community is harmed, and collaborate on restorative remedies to address the harm and restore trust.

Incorporating these practices into the district includes extensive training for staff, on-going mentoring of facilitators, town halls, lectures, and other education-focused strategies.

Bullying and Cyberbullying Training

Our students at every grade level are receiving training on how to identify different types of bullying, what to do, how to be an upstander against bullying, and how to be a good digital citizen. 



Technology offers a world of possibilities to students in today's digital world, but it also presents certain risks. Trainings provide strategies that students can use to protect themselves and their information online, including guidance on location services, check-ins, scams, shopping online, passwords, and more. We also discuss harmful behaviors such as cyberbullying and texting while driving.

WeTip

WeTip is a nationwide crime reporting system that ensures absolute anonymity, not just confidentiality. WeTip provides toll free hotlines and internet lines 24 hours-a-day, 365 days a year. Once a report is filed, WeTip will contact our Student Services Department with the specifics of the incident. The Student Services Department will then work with site administrators, counselors and other relevant school staff to investigate allegations, heighten awareness, increase adult supervision, provide counseling support, and/or intervene with disciplinary action as appropriate. We still encourage students and parents to contact school staff directly to report inappropriate because this reporting typically provides us with more detailed and helpful information upon which we can follow up, but we also know that bystanders often fail to get involved because they are not sure what to do, are afraid of retaliation and concerned that they will become ostracized, or don’t think adults will help. Through WeTip, the anonymity of the person reporting is maintained and the subsequent investigation conducted thoroughly. In the case of a potential crime or immediate threat, WeTip will contact law enforcement.

We are committed to doing our best to prevent inappropriate behavior in our school community, to quickly and firmly addressing such behaviors when they do arise, and to supporting the victims of such behavior. We believe WeTip can be a valuable tool in accomplishing this goal. 

Community Engagement and Partnership

Our work in addressing important social challenges must go hand in hand with efforts at home and in our communities. LGSUHSD is working with parent, family and community partners to build a network of support for our shared values of inclusivity and respect for all.

In February and May of 2021, we hosted community forums to discuss key principles from our RIR Protocol for Compassionate Dialogue. Some of the topics covered included social media dialogue and behaviour, normalizing mental health, as well as intent and impact.

We continue to engage with parents and community stakeholders through focus groups and District committees. Our team is also actively exploring partnerships with community organizations aligned with our mission and values.

Stay Connected with Us

We invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest information. Social media is a key tool for emergency communications.

For more information, please call (408) 354-2520.