A message from our Superintendent
Thinking back on the month, I am impressed by the San Leandro school community in their response to events that challenged us and our students to stand together, speak up and act responsibly and respectfully. We are all truly saddened that school shootings and threats of violence are all too familiar on school campuses nationwide, including our own. As thousands of students across the nation walked out on Wednesday, March 14th, our high school was closed due to a threat of violence graffitied on a bathroom wall. The threat forced our high school into an immediate lockdown, requiring students to remain inside their classrooms for most of the school day. I was on campus and saw students, teachers and administrators all cooperating, respecting our safety protocol and remaining calm. Thankfully, the threat was not credible.
The immediacy of news and social media require us to be extra vigilant and prioritize school safety over everything else. Disruptions in the school day negatively impact our teaching and learning and our teachers work tirelessly to ensure students are prepared and current in their coursework. Again, the health and safety of our school community is our number one concern.
Looking to the busy spring season, I’m excited by the many events that bring us together as a community. We held two Achievement Nights to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of Latino students throughout the district -- and look forward to an equally successful and exciting Achievement Night on April 26 when we’ll celebrate the accomplishments of our award-winning African American students. We were also thrilled to have 500 high school juniors
take the SAT as they work toward their future careers.
If you haven’t already done so, we’re asking the community to fill out our third-party Family Survey to give us anonymous and direct feedback on your experience with San Leandro Unified School District and your child’s school. Feedback is an important way for us to learn, improve and reach our goal of setting new standards of excellence for our schools.
Sincerely,
Mike McLaughlin, Ed.D
Superintendent
