The students and staff of Arroyo Elementary School in Tustin Unified dropped, covered and held on this week. And they weren’t alone.
Millions of Californians in schools, offices, hospitals and homes took part in the annual Great ShakeOut earthquake drill, which started at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17.
OCDE is among the agencies that participate in the international campaign each year, but it’s OK if your workplace missed it. Anytime is a good time to review safety plans with your coworkers and family members.
According to the Great ShakeOut website, you can reduce your chances of getting injured during a seismic event by dropping onto your hands and knees and covering your head with one arm and your hand.
If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it; if there’s not a sturdy shelter nearby, move next to an interior wall away from any windows and remain in place until the shaking stops.
Experts say it’s dangerous and potentially life-threatening to stand in doorways, run outside or follow the discredited “triangle of life” theory.
You can read more at www.shakeout.org/dropcoverholdon, and don’t forget to stock those emergency supply kits.
Here are some of the top stories we’ve compiled for the week ending ending Oct. 18:
- Orange County businesses will learn how they can help equip students for careers transformed by automation, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies at the fifth annual OC Pathways Showcase on Dec. 3.
- Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre is inviting school groups to attend its production of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” saying the themes of the play, which is based on poetry created by Jewish children in a concentration camp, can be instructive for students in light of recent anti-Semitic displays and other hate-driven incidents in Orange County. For information, contact Doug Vogel at 949-204-5341 or dvogel@lagunaplayhouse.com, or visit lagunaplayhouse.com.
- OCDE has been awarded more than half a million dollars in state funds to help keep vaping devices, cigarettes and other tobacco products out of the hands of young people.
- Author and performer Joy Harjo, who was recently named the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, has been tapped as the featured speaker at the 11th annual Creative Edge Lecture. The event, which is open to all audiences, will be held in February.
- Targeting underserved elementary schools in Orange County, a Santa Ana nonprofit offers free dance lessons, community services and a pathway to higher education for families in need.
- As California schools work to implement Next Generation Science Standards, some parents at a high school in Irvine have expressed concerns about how integrated science courses are structured.
- A report from the California chapter of the Council for American-Islamic Relations says 40 percent of Muslim students recently surveyed reported being bullied at school. The survey was taken by 1,500 students between the ages of 11 and 18.
- A law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsrom says middle schools shouldn’t start before 8 a.m. and the first high school classes have to wait until 8:30 a.m. Senate Bill 328, which was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics and opposed by the California School Boards Association, takes effect in 2022-23.
- Another new piece of legislation guarantees that students will receive school lunches even if their parents are behind on fees. It also ensures that “that the pupil is not shamed or treated differently from other pupils.”
- Three other bills signed by the governor are intended to reduce bullying and prevent teen suicides. They include legislation requiring school districts to post bullying prevention policies online, along with information about cyber-bullying.
- Gov. Newsom vetoed legislation aimed at giving school district and community college employees at least six weeks of fully paid maternity leave, saying it would be too costly.
- The Orange County Register reports that the Anaheim Union High School District has settled a lawsuit that centered on sexual abuse by a former coach and transparency.
- La Habra High School briefly implemented lockdown procedures this week after reports that a student had brought an unloaded firearm to the campus.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.