The Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD) board hosted 1 of their biweekly meetings on March 2. They discussed updates within each campus in the district, health, budget cuts, and more general information. The most notable update is that students and staff in the AUHSD district will no longer be required to wear masks on campus beginning March 12.

Lori Tewksbury, Acalanes Education Association Union President, discussed mask fatigue occurring in students, leading board members to lean towards the removal of masks in the classroom in hopes of a better educational environment. 1 of the board’s main concerns with lifting the mandate is peer pressure for all students to take off their masks, even though some may not feel comfortable doing so yet. They hope to take actions to make the school environment a place where students feel comfortable not wearing, or continuing to wear, their masks. They note that independent study will continue to be an option for students who aren’t comfortable in an unmasked environment.

Senior Adriana Colon, the ASB commissioner of student affairs who attends meetings regularly and speaks on behalf of Campo, expects that at the next board meeting in 2 weeks there’s going to be a lot of controversy. “That’s when we’ll probably get a lot of public comment, people who come in talking about how frustrated they are with the school board.”

In other general news, California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) testing will be beginning soon, and a vigorous hiring process for the new Campo Principal is about to be underway. Budget and layoffs were also discussed.

The next board meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday, March 16, and as always, is available to watch live online.
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