Placer High and Confluence present school-year updates as graduation, cell-phone policy and student supports draw attention

Placer Union High School District administrators on Monday presented semester updates from Placer High School and Confluence continuation high school, emphasizing increases in graduation outcomes, expanded intervention and student-support programs, and new on-campus policies intended to boost instructional time.

The evening’s presentations, led by Placer Principal Jamie Jackson and a team of administrators and teachers, outlined schoolwide priorities including competency-based education (CBE) implementation, targeted intervention schedules, and a revised cell-phone policy. "The theme of this year is about Placer presence — being present at our events, at our games, in your classes, being engaged in your learning," Principal Jamie Jackson said.

Placer staff described efforts to raise college- and career-readiness metrics while responding to changing student demographics. Social studies teacher Jeff James said the school’s English-learner population roughly doubled from about 4.3% in 2018 to 8.9% in the most recent reporting and that the Hispanic share of enrollment rose to about 27%. Assistant Principal Courtney Doylin presented graduation-rate data that show the school’s overall rate in recent reporting at 95.8%; she…