Guest Opinion | Scott Harden: Put Our Volunteers Back to Work for our Schools

This week, the PUSD Board of Education is set to vote on the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan, which is a District requirement that developed out of the recent passing of the California Senate Bill SB 98 to “to balance the needs of all stakeholders, including educators, parents, students and community members, while streamlining meaningful stakeholder engagement” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essentially, it details the District’s plan for ensuring learning loss is mitigated, especially among our socio-economically disadvantaged students, through prescribed actions and partnerships.

As a PTA leader at a PUSD school, I want to impress upon the district leadership the necessity and importance of volunteer involvement in our school community and I am disappointed to see that there is little mention in the plan of how our caregiver and community support networks will help ensure that learning loss is mitigated as we navigate distance and hybrid learning models in the COVID-19 crisis.

A simple word search of the draft plan includes only one mention of the word “volunteer” and it appears next to a budget line item of PPE equipment with no other associated detail. I worry that this lack of volunteer inclusion may promote a general sense in our school community that volunteerism is not part of the conversation of learning continuity at this pivotal time. I do respect the work PUSD is doing to try to engage community groups in the feedback of the plan itself but our amazing volunteer networks should be strengthened, not weakened, during this crisis. Our PTAs, our African-American Parent Councils, our English Learner Advisory Committees and our School Site Councils are struggling to stay as relevant as we can. We are leaning in to help make the educational lives of all children as equitable as possible. But, we are worried about the lack of visible support in return.

I represent over 300 PTA members, and many of them are asking “how can I help?” They represent the collective willingness to do far more than they are presently being asked to do. Principals are also prohibited from engaging meaningful support from our PTA. Our members wish to help distribute supplies and food, provide technical support, and assist teachers with the incredible challenges of keeping their students engaged under these most unusual circumstances. Many of our members are background checked and had authorization during normal times to work with small groups of students, but those resources are not being utilized online.

Our volunteer armies want to help care for our empty school facilities, maintain the student gardens, and deliver meals. They are technology experts, room parents and retired teachers. They fully respect the imperative to ensure that those who can be on campus have a clean and safe work environment from which to do their work, but also know that there are families struggling to keep up and plugged in. PUSD’s volunteer community has always been about lifting up those who need it the most. In this plan, there are categories such as “participation and re-engagement”, “social and emotional well-being”, “technical support” “strategic student groupings,” all of which could be supported remotely and safely by volunteers. Allow us to help find students who have dropped from attending and bring them back. Let us ease the burden of our staff, teachers and administrators who work so hard to provide a quality education for our children. Public schooling works best when it’s a partnership between the community and those who deliver educational experiences to the community.

PUSD, leverage our big hearts. Put us to work; we are ready and able. Integrate volunteer participation into the PUSD Learning Continuity Plan and let’s work together to help our District get through this crisis.

Scott Harden is a parent volunteer and the President of the Don Benito Parent Teacher Association.