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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-04-23 City School Liaison Committee Agenda PacketThursday, April 23, 2026 City/School Liaison Committee Meeting City / School Liaison Committee meetings will be held in person and on Zoom. 7:00-8:00 p.m. District Office Aspen Room 25 Churchill Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94306 1. Call to Order A. Meeting Practices and Public Comment Opportunities B. Approval of Agenda Order 2. Review and Recommendations A. Open Forum / Public Communications B. Approval of Minutes C. Updates from the Palo Alto Unified School District D. Updates from the City of Palo Alto E. Update from the JED Foundation About Efforts in Palo Alto F. Discussion of Advocacy Efforts Related to E-Bikes G. Future Business 3. Adjournment A. Adjournment Page 1 of 6 Regular Meeting February 26, 2026 Vice Mayor Stone called the meeting to order on this date in the Community Meeting Room & by virtual teleconference at 7:00 p.m. Present: City of Palo Alto Representatives Greer Stone, Vice Mayor George Lu, Councilmember Chantal Cotton-Gaines, Deputy City Manager, Staff Liaison Palo Alto Unified School District Representatives Segal, Board Member Kamhi, Board Member Lana Conaway, Assistant Superintendent, Palo Alto Unified School District Absent: None. CALL TO ORDER Vice Mayor Stone welcomed all to the meeting. The clerk called roll and declared all were present. REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Selection of Chairperson Vice Mayor Stone commented that the Chairperson would be someone from the School District. PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM A There were no comments. MOTION: Board Member Segal nominated Board Member Kamhi as Chair for 2026. Board Member Kamhi accepted the nomination and looked forward to working with everyone. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 City/School Liaison Committee Regular Meeting SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Draft Summary Minutes: 02/26/2026 B Open Forum/Public Communications: Ken H. (Zoom) was excited that the School Board and the City were cooperating regarding the Track Watch and was hopeful that the School District would approve a 50-percent contribution, that the Committee would address youth mental health, and that the Jed Foundation would be discussed. C. Review of Minutes MOTION: Councilmember Lu moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Stone, to approve the minutes. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 D. City and School District Reports NO ACTION Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gains announced that the grade separations at Churchill would not be addressed by this Committee as other committees were focusing on that. On March 12, there would be a listening session with community feedback regarding the potential Churchill closure. Deputy City Manager Gains would check on the timeline for the potential closure but City Council would discuss it at a later date. Vice Mayor Stone mentioned that the Rail Safety Committee hoped to present the potential Churchill closure to City Council in April for a decision. Vice Mayor Stone and Councilmember Lu had attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Academy, which would be a 100-percent affordable housing project with no government subsidies associated with it and it would be offered to PAUSD teachers and classified staff before opening to the general public. The developer hoped occupancy would occur by July or August 2027. Chair Kamhi noted that the Superintendent and Board agreed to mutually separate on February 20 and on February 23, the Board nominated Trent Bahadursingh as Acting Superintendent. Bids were being solicited from search firms for a new Superintendent search. At the last Board meeting, Don Austin expressed that the District wanted Churchill temporarily closed and mentioned a potential cost sharing of security guards with the City, which the majority of the Board supported, although there was no official vote. Deputy City Manager Gains noted that City Council approved the contract for the crossing guards on February 23. E. Postvention Engagement NO ACTION Chair Kamhi voiced that the Committee had focused on youth mental health for a year and postvention was being looked at due to a tragic loss. Vice Mayor Stone added that postvention engagement was a continuation of the work the Committee had taken on last year and the District was addressing the issue. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Draft Summary Minutes: 02/26/2026 Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gains remarked that the City had a contract with the Jed Foundation. The foundation was providing assistance where needed. The Foundation’s strategic work was helpful in looking at a comprehensive offering of Citywide resources in postvention and identifying gaps and best practices. The Foundation would be in Palo Alto on March 18 and 19 and a few workshops were being organized. The topic would be You Can Help and there would be listening sessions and stakeholder engagement would continue in person and online. Staff was considering offering a community processing group on March 18 and 19. The Foundation anticipated presenting a report of their findings in June and it was expected that there would be a postvention guide later in the year and specific recommendations. Board Member Segal requested more information on the You Can Help Workshop and inquired how interested youth could participate in the listening sessions. Palo Alto Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Lana Conaway answered that the District was part of the coordination, so the information would be shared. Deputy City Manager Gains stated the calendar invitations for the workshops would be shared with the Committee and an email address would be provided for individuals to sign up for the listening sessions. Vice Mayor Stone queried if the postvention guide would include policy recommendations that would be presented to the City for potential adoption and if it would be a resource generally available to the public. Community Services Director Kristen O’Kane replied that the Jed Foundation had shared some examples. The postvention guide would indicate next steps and everyone would have a specific role. It would be a public document. Assistant Superintendent Conaway expressed that the District had an agreement with the Jed Foundation, which allowed them to provide targeted training and support for parents and students. The next upcoming training was called It Is Okay To Say Suicide, the date which would be provided at a later time. It had been requested that some of the training be a broader community event and there were opportunities for that but it was important to keep the school community at the forefront at this time. There was a committee looking at the policy and Jed would provide input on that. All districts were guided by the CSBA guidelines and the District wanted to go above and beyond the based requirement. The current policy was well beyond the CSBA language but the District wanted to meet student and community needs proactively. Assistant Superintendent Conaway stated the policy was strong and there had been criticism about it because there was a lack of understanding of postvention science and sometimes a lack of communication and the District could do a better job communicating. Assistant Superintendent Conaway explained the target outreach and monitoring phase and transitioning from the crisis phase to recovery. There had been a recent training to support the LGBTQ youth and all staff would be trained. Students wanted to be part of the solution and active in the postvention phase and the District met with Bring Change to Mind last week and discussed potentially expanding Bring Change to Mind to all secondary sites. Students did not have access to their phones within the school space, which lessened the impacts of social media. Anniversary planning needed to be addressed. The partnership with Jed had been fruitful. Assistant Superintendent Conaway had had a conversation with Director O’Kane and Dr. Shashank Joshi about meeting on a consistent basis, not just when a tragedy occurred. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Draft Summary Minutes: 02/26/2026 Board Member Segal questioned if there was a goal to send clear communication to teachers related to what teachers should or should not say. On February 18, Board Member Segal attended one of the Jed Foundation parent trainings, which was helpful. Board Member Segal asked if recordings of the trainings were offered on the website. Assistant Superintendent Conaway replied that teachers were provided with talking points and training at the beginning of the year but more could be done to ensure that teachers were comfortable talking about suicide and recognizing signs. The District was discussing making sure that every teacher had access to a high-quality training program to build awareness and strengthen response. Recordings of the trainings were not offered on the website but the Jed Foundation would be contacted to see if that could be done. There needed to be a discussion about creating multiple access opportunities. Councilmember Lu asked if anything had been done to support the LGBTQ community. Board Member Segal responded that she was on the School District LGBTQ+ Council, which was student led and included students, staff, parents, guardians, community partners, and GSA club advisors, which met once a month. Anyone wanting to get involved should contact their secondary GSA. Assistant Superintendent Conaway added that that particular group would have feedback sessions related to policy. There had been discussions related to mental health providers who had unique knowledge around supporting LGBTQ youth. Councilmember Lu commented that there might be ways to support the effort outside of school. Vice Mayor Stone mentioned that there were conversations with the City and YCS about forming a Pride parade or event for June. Director O’Kane noted that the first Pride Celebration would be on June 7 and explained why it would not be a parade. The youth was leading it with the assistance of some adult community members. It was in partnership with a lot of organizations and community members. Chair Kamhi inquired how everything through the listening sessions, etc., was being put together, so nothing would be lost. Assistant Superintendent Conaway answered that she had met with Project Safety Net and others and it was determined that the first happenings needed to be synthesized and there needed to be routine meetings to discuss what the City and the District would be working on. It had not been determined who the executive practitioners meeting would include but there needed to be community voices and a working group to determine what to do with the information from the City and District. There would be a meeting soon to consider who should be at the table and to discuss the solutions and the decisions when looking at that information. Chair Kamhi asked where folks could get information about upcoming events. Assistant Superintendent Conaway replied that information was provided to parents via email and it was included in the weekly superintendents update. It would be great to have a calendar listing City and School events, which could be a on youth mental health website. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Draft Summary Minutes: 02/26/2026 Deputy City Manager Gains would be happy to work on a shared place with a calendar and other information. In the meantime, all City events could be found on the City Calendar. Deputy City Manager Gains outlined what the You Can Help training would include. There would be a Career Exploration Event for teens on February 28. Board Member Segal desired, if there should be a website, that it include recordings of the trainings. Vice Mayor Stone hoped the CSLC would continue to foster the relationship between the City and the School District, loved the idea of a shared website and resources, and appreciated the cost sharing of the crossing guards and the quick response to the request. The Board of Supervisors appeared to be on a path to continue Alcove funding, and it was anticipated that it would be $1.75M a year for the next 3 years and that Alum Rock Counseling Center would be the primary provider through Alcove. There was a funding gap, but it appeared that Alcove through Alum Rock would be able to do a lot of the work at a reduced cost. Even though the City was facing budget challenges, there was an overwhelming desire from City Council Members that some funding be dedicated to Alcove. Vice Mayor Stone discussed how students were being made aware of Alcove’s services. Councilmember Lu added that City Council had discussed $200K funding for Alcove and there was a general focus on private fundraising, and it was hoped that a commitment from the City would show momentum and spark the ability of Alum Rock, Stanford, and others to raise significant funds. PUBLIC COMMENT ITEM E: 1. Allyson R. requested that the Jed Foundation speak one-on-one or in a small group to the bereaved parents, there be careful attention paid to at-risk students in the Safety Plan, and that thought be given to who would continue the training on the Jed Foundation’s departure, which could be a student with the help of a health professional, which would provide the student some career exploration. It would be important to provide PTSD education, support for neurodivergent students, and support groups for at-risk students. Roleplaying opportunities for teachers might help them feel more comfortable. YCS was a great opportunity, and many community members would collaborate. 2. Ken H. (Zoom) echoed Vice Mayor Stone’s comments related to the City and the School District cooperating. Ken H. looked forward to working with the Jed Foundation. Chair Kamhi stated the Committee would give thought to the Jed Foundation returning for an update. Deputy City Manager Gains requested that the Committee let staff know if there were other specific youth mental health topics that should be focused on. Vice Mayor Stone suggested an item related to a shared website/list of resources. Chair Kamhi thought June would be a good time to discuss a shared website/list of resources. Chair Kamhi wanted to know the outcomes of the surveys and listening sessions to better understand next steps. F. Future Business NO ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES Page 6 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Draft Summary Minutes: 02/26/2026 Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gains stated that one discussion topic the calendar year ended with had been crossing guards, which had been sufficiently covered unless there were other discussions of crossing guards in the District. Other topics included bike safety in general, E-bikes, sports fields, and the Housing Development on Geng Road. The topic of Housing Development on Geng Road would go to City Council, so maybe an update should be provided after the City Council discussion. Councilmember Lu remarked that City Council often received comments related to middle school sports and this venue would be the right place to address it if it was a priority. Councilmember Lu spoke of a project that would have added a driveway with potentially 200 cars on SRTS and the Planning Commission did not recommend moving the project forward. SRTS should be strongly supported but it should not be a reason to deny housing, so things should be clearly prioritized and safe. Thought should be given to hours of operation and programming at the King Center. Vice Mayor Stone asked where the CSLC meetings would take place in 2026. Deputy City Manager Gains responded that the 2026 CSLC meetings would take place in the School District Offices. The Committee discussed meeting dates and times, and it was determined that meetings would be held on the first Thursdays of the month. The next meeting would be March 26 at 7:00pm at the School Board Boardroom, with the following meetings on April 23 and May 28, 2026. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.