Pasadena School Board Re-Authorizes Emergency Powers for School Superintendent

Saying that “it is imperative to prepare for and implement measures to respond to the potential spread of COVID-19,” the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education Thursday unanimously passed a resolution that authorizes Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald to resume emergency powers as the District deals with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

McDonald’s previous emergency powers authorization expired on June 30.

“The resolution is to simply grant me the authority to make swift decisions and have them ratified at a later date by the board,” McDonald told Pasadena Now on Monday.

Board President Scott Phelps told Pasadena Now, ““It happens every time we open schools under COVID. We’re just behind. We should have done it before the opening of school.”

The resolution authorizes the superintendent to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the continuation of public education and the health and safety of the students and staff at district sites.

It also “authorizes the superintendent, at any time, to declare the necessity to close a school site or a classroom to in-person instruction, or halt any in-person service provided by the district, as needed to respond to health conditions,” according to the resolution.

The superintendent would also be able to move the district from in-person instruction to remote instruction, as needed to respond to health conditions.

Superintendent McDonald may also utilize any and all funding from one-time State coronavirus aid without requiring specific authorization from the Board for expenditures,

These expenditures would then be reported for ratification at a subsequent Regular Board meeting.

The resolution would be in effect immediately until Governor Gavin Newsom overrides any part of the resolution by executing lawful authority,  or the Los Angeles County Department of Health declares the coronavirus conditions no longer a public health threat, or until June 30, 2022, the end of the school calendar year.

It was not immediately known whether the resolution would sunset if the Pasadena Health Department made a similar declaration ending the public health threat.