A school bus carrying 43 students from Aptos High School and Aptos Junior High was struck head-on by a Kia Forte in Watsonville Tuesday morning, injurying a student and the driver of the Kia. Affected students are being offered counseling, according to an official with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Posted inK-12 Education
Pajaro Valley Unified appoints former teacher, administrator Murry Schekman as interim superintendent
Murry Schekman has more than 40 years’ experience in education, half of those in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and most recently in the counselor education department at San Jose State University. He and his wife raised their three children in Watsonville, where he served as principal of Watsonville High School from 2006 to 2010.
Posted inK-12 Education
PVUSD superintendent Michelle Rodriguez leaving position to head Stockton Unified School District
Michelle Rodriguez led Pajaro Valley Unified School District and its approximately 19,000 students through many challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Pajaro River levee breach, and also helped bring new arts programs and develop its career technical education pathways.
Posted inK-12 Education
PVUSD rejects claim filed by parents of Aptos High stabbing victim; sister files separate claim
The complaint from Alexa Sarabia Aguilar says Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Aptos High were not prepared for the events that led to the death of her younger brother, and mishandled the response that might’ve saved his life. On Wednesday, the school board rejected a similar claim filed by his parents last year.
Posted inK-12 Education
Parents of Aptos High stabbing victim file claim against PVUSD
The parents of the boy killed on the Aptos High campus took the first legal step Tuesday that is often a precursor to a lawsuit — filing a claim.
Posted inK-12 Education
PVUSD board votes to return SROs to campuses but with twist: Officers to pair with mental health clinicians
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez says this pilot program is among other new safety measures that will be implemented. An emotional, divided crowd of more than 100 turned out at the Henry J. Mello Center in Watsonville on Wednesday night.
Posted inK-12 Education
Aptos High tragedy: Campus police program back on table; sheriff says suspects have gang affiliation
On Tuesday afternoon, Aptos High School was locked down for nearly three hours after a student was fatally stabbed and two others were taken into custody in an attack officials said was gang-related. County and school leaders convened in a virtual community meeting Thursday to discuss safety measures for the school moving forward.
Posted inK-12 Education
‘It doesn’t make sense’: County’s top cop decries PVUSD decision to break relationship with sheriff’s office
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart says he doesn’t understand the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s decision to sever ties with his office. “I hear the advocates for defunding the police and about the school-to-prison pipeline,” he said, “but with this county, we know that’s not true.”
Posted inK-12 Education
In wake of outcry and infighting, PVUSD board will consider bylaw changes
Next week trustees governing the Pajaro Valley Unified School District will consider a list of possible policy changes — including restricting public comment time and docking trustee pay for unexcused absences.
Posted inK-12 Education
PVUSD trustees censure former president Acosta, reveal email that expands superintendent saga questions
The resolution censuring PVUSD trustee Georgia Acosta raises a litany of issues, some predating the brief ouster of Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez. And an email revealed Wednesday raises new questions about whether Acosta coordinated aspects of the firing with two people outside the district.