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Fillmore Unified keeps schools open during multi-day power shutoffs; staff, community provide jackets, meals
Summary
After multi-day power outages starting Jan. 8, Fillmore Unified Superintendent Christine Shefferly commended staff and community partners for keeping schools open, deploying generators and distributing jackets, blankets and food to students in affected areas including Piru.
Superintendent Christine Shefferly told the Fillmore Unified School District governing board that schools stayed open and staff worked to keep students safe after widespread power shutoffs beginning Jan. 8.
Shefferly said school offices ran on generators for communications and that additional generators and battery-powered lights were used to provide temporary heat and lighting in classrooms at Piru School, which went without power for six days. “We were able to continue to provide students with breakfast and lunch,” Shefferly said, adding that child nutrition services brought hot items on a Thursday so students who had been without electricity could go home with food for the weekend.
The superintendent read the first paragraph of board policy 5145.13, which the district adopted in 2019, saying the district is “committed to the success of all students and believes that every school site should be a safe and welcoming place for all students and their families, irrespective of their citizenship and immigration status.” Shefferly said the policy and administrative regulation outlining procedures for requests for access to records or sites will be shared with staff.
Teachers, counselors, custodial staff and maintenance and operations personnel were singled out for their response. Shefferly thanked the district’s community partners and volunteers who supplied about 170 fleece blankets, more than 100 new jackets donated by a local attorney and additional gift cards and food bags assembled for students.
Jamie Ramos, representative of the Fillmore Unified Teachers Association, told the board the outages showed the district’s response had been “reactive rather than proactive” and asked the district to produce a written plan outlining steps to ensure a safe and functional environment during future outages. Ramos also raised concerns about substitute shortages and the workload on teachers tied to district initiatives.
The board heard that staff used air-quality monitoring to limit outdoor activities, and that the district ordered additional battery lights and used generators to keep communication lines open. Shefferly said the district would continue offering supports and reminded parents that preschool, transitional kindergarten and kindergarten registration postcards will be mailed soon and a parent enrollment meeting will be live-streamed Feb. 5.
Trustees thanked staff and volunteers in public remarks at the end of the meeting, with particular concern raised about the vulnerability of the Piru campus and a request that facilities planning prioritize that community.
