Parents and teachers press board on ventilation, blocked apps and sibling placements during lengthy public comment

A string of public commenters told the Merced City School District board on Sept. 9 that operational choices and facility conditions are affecting students and staff.

Pam Russos, a former parent and local family practice physician, urged the district to adopt California Department of Public Health ventilation and filtration recommendations to reduce respiratory infections and chronic absenteeism. "Occupied spaces need better air filtration and ventilation to decrease sick days," Russos said, citing Merced County wastewater surveillance and CO2 classroom measurements that she said were "over 1,600 parts per million, many days over 2,000" in August 2024 and again in April 2025. She suggested leveraging Measure O funds, Proposition 2 match and LCAP resources to make improvements.

Teachers and staff raised several operational complaints. Katherine Friedman said the district had removed or blocked free classroom apps without sufficient teacher input, making lesson planning and differentiation harder. "Taking these tools away without teacher input feels like our professional judgment is being taken out of the process," she said. Michelle Deleó, a second-grade teacher at Franklin Elementary, urged continued use of the Renaissance 'Lio' literacy app and described the program as an effective, free, adaptive tool that supports differentiated instruction.

Gidget Suarez and other teachers read letters noting loss of weekend campus access (district alarm-code changes), replacement of classroom furniture, the blocking of platforms such as Nearpod, and confusing overflow-placement communications that left families unsure about school-of-choice status. "Applying a broad-based admonishment to 500-plus employees in response to actions of a small number is an ineffective strategy," one teacher said, urging targeted discipline instead of blanket restrictions.

Parent Nick Torrance described how his child was placed in a different campus under the TK overflow process, separating siblings and creating transportation burdens for his pregnant wife; he asked the board to prioritize keeping siblings together where possible.

Superintendent Stocking responded later in the meeting by noting September is Attendance Awareness Month and urging families to call sites to clear absences when students are ill; he also said the district is reviewing staff access practices and working with principals to calibrate access and notification systems. Stocking outlined upcoming outreach (back-to-school nights, town hall Sept. 25) and said the district will continue follow-up and communication on matters raised.

Speakers asked for clearer processes on app approval, better communication about overflow placements, restoration of teacher access where appropriate, and capital investments to improve ventilation and filtration.