Cherryl Baker has been a high school counselor for more than 20 years in the San Marcos Unified School District. She was part of the design team for Mission Hills High School and one nominator said she has made a lasting mark through her unwavering dedication to all students being college-, career-, and life-ready. She has founded numerous clubs and organizations to connect students including the Peer Leaders Uniting Students Program, Cardinal Scholars, the ADL No Place for Hate Program, and most recently, the Students Without Limits Program which supports undocumented/immigrant youth. “Regardless of a student’s cultural, linguistic, economic, or social background, Baker is dedicated to removing barriers and creating opportunities for all,” a nominator wrote.

Cherryl was interviewed by Jeff Zevely from CBS News 8 - KFMB and was featured on the Zevely Zone the day she received her award.

The Black Lives Matter at School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education. In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and others named and unnamed, a great movement for Black Lives has swept the nation and the world, inciting new urgency and radical possibilities for advancing abolitionist practice and uprooting institutional racism. This video message explains more about the annual week of action in February each year.​ Visit the Black Lives Matter at School website for more information.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation released Advocating for LGBTQ Students with Disabilities, a new resource that provides educators and parents an overview of the rights of LGBTQ students with disabilities, as well as actionable recommendations on how to best support them. It includes a blueprint for successfully developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for special services or a 504 plan for academic accommodations for LGBTQ students with disabilities. 

The HRC Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization. The resource was developed in collaboration with legal and education experts at the National Education Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

We continue to elevate student voice and engage with their experience in school through listening. The Middle East and North Africa student panel will be live from 3 to 4 p.m. Feb. 10. Register here for this free, virtual event.

This three-part professional learning series will explore how educators and school staff members can create the conditions and environment necessary to support our most vulnerable students. Together, we'll explore reasons why Black, Latinx, and American Indian students are suspended at higher rates. Data from SDCOE Juvenile Court and Community Schools, as well as lessons from experts and researchers, will be used to give educators tools and actionable ways to pull in our most vulnerable students and help them feel valued and connected. The series is March 4 and 10 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and March 11 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Register here.

Register here for this free, virtual event.

Click to view an updated list of 2020-21 professional development opportunities and workshops.