District News

On November 8, 2022, district voters demonstrated their support for keeping local schools safe and up to date so students can receive the education needed to be competitive in our modern world. They approved the Measure T school bond.

Good schools are part of what makes our community a desirable place to live. By keeping our neighborhood schools among the best in the state, we help maintain high property values in our community. Measure T extends, and does not increase, the tax rate homeowners are currently paying ($30 per $100,000 in assessed value) for repairs and updates to local kindergarten through 8th grade schools. For more facts about Measure T, please visit our bond website: www.campbellusd.org/bonds

We also appreciate the vote of confidence voters gave us by re-electing three of our Governing Board members: Danielle Cohen, Chris Miller and Richard Nguyen. For information about the Governing Board, see our recent news story.

On Wed., Nov. 2, Campbell Union School District sent an update to families on efforts to improve pedestrian safety for students.

"As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of our 8-year-old Castlemont Elementary School student, Jacob Villanueva, it is important to share the actions our school district is taking to prevent another tragedy from occurring," said Superintendent Shelly Viramontez.

The letter included news of recent actions by the City of San Jose to bolster the Safe Routes to School program and the district's commitment to advocate for more safety measures across the district and county.

To read the full update, click here.

“Our schools have two primary objectives—student learning and student safety—and we take both very seriously,” said Student Services Director Rosanna Palomo, who oversees the Comprehensive Safety Plan process for the district.

This week's earthquake may have raised questions for parents about how our schools prepare for various emergency situations. We recognize that parents entrust us with their students’ safety, and want to share how we prepare for emergency situations and some of our precautionary measures.

• Each year, we update our safety plans and train our employees in the same Incident Command System (ICS) that first responders use in emergency situations to facilitate communication and decision-making.
• Staff first makes sure the students and campus are secure. If there are specific concerns or changes in student dismissal procedures,  the school or district will send information to update families and provide any instructions. (Please make sure the school has your current emergency contact information.)
• Families may also receive updates via local news outlets. Please see our Emergency Information web page for details about how we will send emergency information.
• Our facilities have physical deterrents for would-be trouble-makers, including interior locks on classroom doors, fences with locking gates, surveillance video, and other security measures.
• We maintain a QuickTip email and phone system for individuals to confidentially report bullying or suspicious activity.  quicktip [at] campbellusd.org () or 408-341-7171.
• Regular fire and earthquake drills, and occasional shelters-in-place, allow students to practice basic skills for following safety instructions and evacuation as necessary. 
• Our multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) includes behavioral interventions and counseling to help struggling students before their situation turns critical.
• Our district Crisis Response Team works with school-based teams to identify and intervene when students experience emotional/mental health crises.

“We care about all of our students,” Palomo said. “We have multiple layers of supports to keep them safe every day.”

Our district and several community groups are co-sponsoring a neighborhood action about safety on November 5th. Several local churches, families, neighbors and employees plan a peaceful march down Winchester Blvd. to continue to call attention to the need for greater safety measures in the community. 

The neighborhood action is in response to the tragic car accident that took the life of a Castlemont student and other neighborhood safety concerns. It will begin at 10 a.m., Sat. Nov. 5.  Please click here for the flyer and details.

In related news…

We learned this week that CUSD’s advocacy on traffic safety in our school zones has led to formal action by the City of San Jose. 

Our letter was the genesis for recommendations from Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and other Councilmembers to the City’s Rules Committee. The recommendations passed unanimously and are now a full city council directive. We are aware that this action is San Jose centric, and we will be working with Vision Zero, Safe Routes to Schools and other community partners to bring this county wide.