- Brad Haugaard
Superintendent Reflects on Difficulties of Reopening Schools - Health, Funds, Teaching Methods
This spring, our communities came together to help slow the spread of this illness, with the state creating a four-stage roadmap for shutting down and – eventually – reopening our community as we progress in the fight against the disease.
In Stage 1, schools, businesses, and parks shut down, students learned through virtual instruction, and health systems treated patients affected by COVID-19. In Stage 2, we began to slowly reopen our communities, starting with low-risk businesses. We are about to enter Stage 3, which allows schools to reopen.
As we prepare for that day, it is important to address how Monrovia Unified will ensure the safety of our students and staff, by tackling some key issues significant to our reopening – Health and safety practices, State funding cuts, Instructional models, and District services.
Health and Safety
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued specific guidance for the reopening of schools. Having also received guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the California Department of Education (CDE), we now await guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) - which will be the most applicable to our district. As we continue to receive guidance from all four of these entities throughout the summer, we will update our planning accordingly.
State Funding Cuts
Reopening plans will need to be sensitive to new challenges we will face as state funding for schools drops. Once the state adopts its budget, we will update our budget assumptions. Due to the recession prompted by the health crisis, we expect grave cuts. As with so much else during this health crisis, our plan will have built-in flexibility to adapt to significantly diminished resources.
Instructional Models
We have developed task forces at both the elementary and secondary levels, to explore multiple instructional models ranging from continued distance learning to in-person instruction – commensurate with the state’s four stage road map to reopen California.
Each instructional option is based on the state’s current status in its ongoing battle against COVID-19, including the possibility of returning to a Stage 1 status and renewed “Safer at Home” orders. Our goal is to provide maximum flexibility for families, with the most effective instructional model, while ensuring the health and safety of students and staff.
Stage 1: Online learning continues and safer-at-home orders are in place.
If California and the County of Los Angeles return to Stage 1, Monrovia Unified will revert to the distance-learning platform and curricula. Teachers will set up virtual lesson plans and connect with their class through an online platform. Assignments will be graded and attendance will be monitored.
Stage 2: Blended In-person and distance learning model.
If California remains in Stage 2, Monrovia Unified will likely need to divide students into cohorts and alternate attending in-class and at-home learning. In this stage, we would need to limit the number of students in class at any one time. When at home, students would complete assignments independently. While at school, social distancing would be required, with scattered desks and smaller class sizes.
Recess and lunch would be staggered as much as practicable to reduce the number of students together and allow for social distancing.
Stage 3: Students are back to school in a traditional manner with wellness practices enforced.
If the state is firmly in Stage 3, Monrovia Unified will open on Aug. 19, 2020, with additional health and safety protocols.
Students would return to in-class instruction. Recess and lunch would use a staggered schedule to encourage appropriate spacing as practicable.
Extra-curricular activities would return as appropriate, but field trips for the first semester would be canceled, extending as long as the full academic year or until the state moves into Stage 4 of the reopening roadmap – the final stage of the roadmap to recovery.
Handwashing and sanitizing will be required after all breaks and before and after lunch. Parents will be asked to check children’s health before school each day, and students and staff are encouraged to remain home if sick.
Independent Study
Even after the state enters Stage 3, some families may prefer to continue with distance learning full-time. Families who wish to continue with the distance learning model will have the opportunity to do so through our Mountain Park Independent Study School.
Mountain Park has provided distance learning to Monrovia students for decades. Administrators and teachers use the same K-12 MUSD curricula and provide the personal support students need to continue learning. The high school program is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and students often matriculate directly into a four-year college following graduation.
District Services
Viability will be determined not only by pedagogy, but by our ability to meet the needs of our families and continue to provide essential services:
- Parental Priorities and Input: The exploration of every instructional model and schedule must include the needs of our community. While our greatest hope is that we would be able to start and continue the 2020-2021 school year with all our students back on campus at the same time, we will determine a clear Phase 2 plan with 50% of our students physically in school at any one time. Parent input will be solicited in the next week regarding priorities, concerns, and instructional schedules.
- Food Services: Develop strategies to limit physical interaction during meal service such as serving meals in classrooms, increasing meal service access points, and staggering cafeteria use.
- Buses: Determine maximum capacity of each vehicle while meeting physical distancing objectives and develop a plan for bus routes that accommodates capacity limits.
- Cleaning and Disinfecting: Disinfecting surfaces between uses, such as desks and tables; chairs, seats on buses, copy machines, etc.
Our commitment to you
As always, our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, our staff, and our community before all other considerations. We remain steadfast in our mission to educate our students and guide them as they discover their passions and pursue their dreams.
Thank you for your patience and continued support as we navigate these unprecedented challenges together. Information regarding the opportunity for input will be finalized before the end of this week. We will publicize those widely and continue to provide timely updates as we monitor the changing situation in our community and finalize our plans for instruction in 2020-21.
Sincerely,
Dr. Katherine Thorossian
Superintendent
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Coronavirus Count: Up 3, to 190
Today's Coronavirus cases from LA Department of Public Health:
Monrovia: 190 (up 3), 25 deaths (unchanged); Unincorporated Monrovia: 23 (unchanged).
Brookdale Monrovia: 8 (unchanged), 1 death (unchanged).
Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center: (74, 16 deaths) and Monrovia Memorial Hospital: (27, 2 deaths) have been removed from the county stats page because they have had no new cases in 14 days.
- Brad Haugaard
Like Fetch, Dog Kisses, Long Walks? Yeah? Then Maya May Be the Dog for You
The adoption fee for dogs is $140. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines.
New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.
View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org and fill out an online adoption application. Adoptions are by appointment only.
Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or email.
- Brad ...
Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 187, 2 More; No More Deaths
Today's Coronavirus cases from LA Deptartment of Public Health:
Monrovia: 187 (up 2), 25 deaths (unchanged).
Unincorporated Monrovia: 23 (unchanged).
Brookdale Monrovia: 8 (unchanged), 1 death (unchanged).
Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center: (74, 16 deaths) and Monrovia Memorial Hospital: (27, 2 deaths) have been removed from the county stats page because they have had no new cases in 14 days.
- Brad Haugaard
City Council May Sell Dollars for 55 Cents Apiece
The situation is that Monrovia gets money every year from utility rates to put its power lines underground. Currently Monrovia has about $437,000.
If Monrovia was to put its own power lines underground, it would do so in areas with high fire danger, such as along Norumbega or the Ridgeside/Oakglade Loop.
But ... in order to have enough money to do even the cheapest of these projects ($4.65 million) it would have to wait about 20 years for enough money to come in to cover the costs, assuming nothing changes.
Or ... Monrovia could sell its funds to a city with an aggressive undergrounding program at 55 cents per dollar.
So ... city staff is recommending selling the $427,568 the city has accrued for about $240,000.
Source: https://is.gd/khp3Sp
- Brad Haugaard
Go On a Monrovia Safari This Weekend
Thanks to Scott Morgan for the tip. And here are the sponsors who made it possible: https://is.gd/c4ZQHC
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Getting New Fire Truck; City Leaders on KGEM
In his latest report (https://goo.gl/aOqX7O) City Manager Dylan Feik reports:
~ A small group of Monrovia firefighters are in Pennsylvania inspecting a new KME ladder truck, where the rear wheels are controlled by a firefighter steering from the rear. This provides better maneuverability. Also, it has more space for tools. Next is to drive it to California for equipment outfitting and personnel training.
~ Mayor Tom Adams, Police Chief Alan Sanvictores, and City Manager Dylan Feik will be live on Ralph Walker's Conversations with the Community program on Monday, June 15, at 2 p.m. Have a question? Call 357-4974 or send questions to kgemtv@gmail.com. The program will be on KGEM channel 3, (Spectrum), channel 87.3, (Giggle) and Youtube.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 185, Up 2; No New Deaths
Today's Coronavirus cases from LA Deptartment of Public Health:
Monrovia: 185 (up 2), 25 deaths (unchanged).
Unincorporated Monrovia: 23 (unchanged).
Brookdale Monrovia: 8 (unchanged), 1 death (unchanged).
The last numbers before the following two facilities disappeared from the county's stats page*:
Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center: 74, 16 deaths.
Monrovia Memorial Hospital: 27, 2 deaths.
* Council Member Becky Shevlin got this explanation from the county: "Facilities are removed from our list if their outbreak has been closed, meaning there have been no new cases in 14 days."
* Council Member Becky Shevlin got this explanation from the county: "Facilities are removed from our list if their outbreak has been closed, meaning there have been no new cases in 14 days."
- Brad Haugaard
Schools Still Serving Meals During Summer
Rules: Meals are for children only; no one over age 18 will be served. Pick up meals and take them home,
Meals are available at:
- Wild Rose
- Clifton
- Santa Fe,
- Monrovia High
- Canyon Early Learning Center
Source: Monrovia Schools press release
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia YMCA to Open July 6
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 183, Up 4; No New Deaths
Today's Coronavirus cases from LA Deptartment of Public Health:
Monrovia: 183 cases (up 4), 25 deaths (unchanged).
Unincorporated Monrovia: 23 cases (up 1).
Brookdale Monrovia: 8 cases (unchanged), 1 death (unchanged).
Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center: 74, 16 deaths. This facility has disappeared from the county's stats page, so these numbers are old.
Monrovia Memorial Hospital: 27 cases (unchanged) and 2 deaths (unchanged). This facility has disappeared from the county's stats page, so these numbers are old.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Police: Lots of Thefts from Vehicles; Ripping Off Cell Phones; Boyfriend Arrested for Violence; Stolen Tools Found at Station Square
During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 349 service events, resulting in 57 investigations.
Stolen Vehicle Recovered
June 4 at 10:56 a.m., a resident of an apartment complex in the 700 block of W. Foothill reported a suspicious vehicle parked on the property that she believed might be stolen. Officers arrived and ran a computer check of the license plate which revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen. The owner was notified and he recovered his vehicle. This investigation is continuing.
Injury Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
June 4 at 7:28 p.m., a vehicle was traveling in the 200 block of N. Canyon when the driver made an unsafe turning movement and collided into a parked vehicle. Officers arrived and the investigation revealed the subject had been driving under the influence of alcohol. He was arrested for DUI and held for a sobering period.
Vandalism
June 4 at 9:34 p.m., a vandalism incident was reported at a car wash in the 400 block of W. Duarte. The victim saw an unknown subject throw an object at his vehicle. The object left a large dent in his vehicle. The suspect was later identified during an unrelated theft investigation at a gas station. This investigation is continuing.
Theft / Resisting – Suspect Arrested
June 5 at 4:10 a.m., officers responded to the 1500 block of S. Myrtle to the report of a theft that just occurred at a gas station. The subject entered the store and stole merchandise. When officers arrived and attempted to detain him, he fled on foot and hid in a nearby business. He was located and a witness positively identified him as the suspect. He was arrested and taken into custody.
Grand Theft Auto
June 5 at 7:31 a.m., a resident in the 100 block of Fowler walked outside her home to go to work and discovered someone had stolen her vehicle with her purse and personal items inside. Officers searched the area for the stolen vehicle, but could not locate it. The vehicle was entered into the Stolen Vehicle System. This investigation is continuing.
Theft From a Vehicle
June 5 at 12:53 p.m., a resident in the 200 block of S. Sunset reported someone had rummaged through his unlocked vehicle sometime during the night and took personal items from the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.
Grand Theft Auto
June 5 at 2:38 p.m., an officer was on patrol near the parking lot of a business in the 1600 block of S. Mountain when a customer flagged him down and reported his vehicle had been stolen while he was inside the store. Officers searched for the vehicle, but were unable to locate it. The vehicle was entered into the Stolen Vehicle System. This investigation is continuing.
Hit and Run Traffic Collision
June 5 at 8:06 p.m., a vehicle was stopped at the red light at Myrtle and Huntington, facing south, when a second vehicle rear-ended his vehicle. The first vehicle stopped on Huntington so they could exchange information, but second vehicle fled the scene. Officers arrived and checked the area, but did not find the second vehicle. This investigation is continuing.
Battery
June 5 at 9:18 p.m., a male subject came to the police station to report a battery incident that occurred on June 1. He said he was struck by another male subject in the 900 block of E. Lemon. The two subjects were involved in a verbal argument and the other subject then punched him. This investigation is continuing.
Theft
June 6 at 12:10 a.m., a theft from a vehicle was reported in the 400 block of E. Maple. The parked vehicle was ransacked sometime overnight. Items for the vehicle, miscellaneous mail and credit cards were stolen. There were no signs of forced entry. This investigation is continuing.
Hit and Run Traffic Collision
June 6 at 4:39 p.m., a small, white, hatchback vehicle drove through a fence rail in the 1600 block of S. Myrtle, breaking it off halfway. The vehicle then fled west on Duarte Road. Officers arrived and checked the area, but were unable to locate the vehicle. This investigation is continuing.
Mail Tampering
June 6 at 7:22 p.m., a resident in the 2000 block of S. Peck called police to report that someone broke into his mailbox. Officers arrived and concluded that various mail had been stolen. This investigation is continuing.
Vehicle Burglary – Suspect Arrested
June 8 at 4:10 a.m., a resident in the 500 block of Valmont called police to report a suspect inside her vehicle, which was parked in her driveway. Officers responded to the area and located a male subject lying in the back seat of the vehicle to avoid being seen. Officers detained the suspect and found him to be in possession of a center console, which did not belong to that vehicle. Officers searched the street and discovered the center console was taken from another vehicle on the same block. Officers found a third victim on the block where change was taken from a vehicle. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.
Vehicle Burglary
June 8 at 4:38 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of Montana called police to report two suspects burglarizing his vehicle. Both suspects fled south on Primrose prior to police arrival and were not located. This investigation is continuing.
Grand Theft Auto
June 8 at 8:20 a.m., a resident called to report his flatbed truck had been taken from the 800 block of S. Primrose. Officers arrived and learned it had been taken sometime over the weekend. This investigation is continuing.
Theft From a Vehicle
June 8 at 10:09 a.m., a theft from a vehicle was reported in the 500 block of Norumbega. The victim reported that someone went into the vehicle during the night and stole money. The money was in two plastic cylinders. A suspect had been taken into custody for a similar theft during the night and was still in custody. The suspect's property was examined and the victim’s stolen property was found among it. The suspect in custody was charged with the additional offense and the property was returned to the victim.
Commercial Burglary
June 8 at 6:48 p.m., a burglary was reported at a cell phone store in the 600 block of W. Huntington. Three male suspects were inside the store and they were tearing the cell phone security cables from the wall which activated the store alarm system. The suspects fled in a dark blue Nissan Altima with no license plates. Officers did a search for the vehicle, but they did not locate it. This investigation is continuing.
Domestic Violence – Suspect Arrested
June 8 at 11:48 p.m., a female resident in the 300 block of S. Canyon called to report she was battered by her boyfriend, who had left the residence. The boyfriend punched and kicked her during an argument. Paramedics responded and treated the victim. Officers did an area search for the suspect, but he was not located. The victim refused prosecution and an emergency protective order. Approximately thirty minutes after officers cleared the scene, the victim called back and said the boyfriend returned to the residence. Officers responded back to the residence and arrested the suspect for domestic violence.
Theft
June 9 at 8:44 a.m., a caller reported that someone broke into several company vehicles in the 1600 block of S. Myrtle. Officers arrived and found that various tools had been stolen. The video surveillance showed a subject checking the vehicles at 2:55 a.m. that day. A subject matching that description was later seen at the Station Square Park. Officers attempted to contact the subject, but he ran from the area. All of the stolen tools were found at Station Square Park and were returned to the business. This investigation is continuing.
Injury Traffic Collision
June 9 at 3:58 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Myrtle and Pomona regarding an injury vehicle collision. One of the vehicles was a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s patrol car. The deputy was treated for minor injuries.
Injury Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
June 9 at 4:59 p.m., officers responded to the 500 block of Norumbega regarding a vehicle that had collided into another vehicle and a residence. Investigation revealed the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested for DUI and transported to a local hospital for treatment of her injuries.
New Book Tells the Story of Monrovia’s Earliest Days
Monrovia author Richard Singer has just published 1887: A History of Early Monrovia, the story of how people from all over the United States, and all over the world, came together to found Monrovia. This is Singer's second book on Monrovia. He earlier published Renaissance Years: A History of Modern Monrovia. See review: https://is.gd/3YrUVg
From the back cover:
“They arrived daily from nearly every state in the Union ... Yankees from New England, Hoosiers from Indiana, Georgians and Texans, Minnesotans, Kentuckians and Kansans. They came too from Sweden and New Zealand, China, Canada, Ireland and Greece. They were doctors and carpenters, lawyers, shopkeepers, barbers, bakers and bankers, housewives, milliners and masons. And more than a few were real estate salesmen.
“By the end of the year, there were more than 2,000 people living in the new town. Except for the few infants born that year, everyone was from somewhere else. Together, they built a city.”
To buy a book, contact the Monrovia Historical Society at (626) 675-8323 or at monroviahistoricalsociety1896@gmail.com. Proceeds will help fund projects at the society's Anderson House Museum. The book will also be available at the Monrovia Historical Museum, 742 E. Lemon Ave., with sales there supporting museum projects.
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia's First Lutheran Church to Open Sunday
A video of what to expect ...
- Brad Haugaard
Lunch from Mahan Indian Restaurant
Lunch from Mahan Indian Restaurant, on the east side of Myrtle just south of Foothill. Got the Tandoori Chicken for $12 and a side of nan bread for $2.50. Good. Even had some left over. - Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Police Q&A Sheet On Hiring, Choke Holds, Etc.
It says:
"Our hiring practices are incredibly stringent and in depth. As an example, applicants undergo a thorough, all-encompassing background investigation, polygraph examination, and psychological screening, just to name a few. Officers go through an initial extensive training program over an 18-month period. They continue participating in regular, state, and department mandated training and qualification throughout the remainder of their career. We are always seeking ways to improve through input and analysis of community needs and best legislative practices."
The questions the sheet answers are:
- Does MPD allow officers to use chokeholds or strangleholds? [No]
- Does MPD require its officers to use de-escalation techniques? [Yes]
- Does MPD Require officers to issue a warning before shooting their firearm? [When feasible]
- Does MPD train its officers to exhaust all alternatives before shooting their firearms? [Complicated; click through]
- Does MPD have a policy requiring officers to intervene if excessive force is being used? [Yes]
- Does MPD have a ban on shooting at moving vehicles? [Mostly]
- Does MPD require the use of a force continuum or force ladder? [Force "must be reasonable and necessary"]
- Does MPD require comprehensive reporting when an officer uses force? [Yes]
- Brad Haugaard
Monrovia Coronavirus Count: 179, 2 More Deaths
Today's Coronavirus cases from LA Deptartment of Public Health:
Monrovia: 179 cases (up 5), 25 deaths (up 2).
Unincorporated Monrovia: 22 cases (unchanged).
Brookdale Monrovia: 8 cases (unchanged), 1 death (unchanged).
Monrovia Gardens Healthcare Center: 74, 16 deaths. This facility has disappeared from the county's stats page, so these numbers are old.
Monrovia Memorial Hospital: 27 cases (unchanged) and 2 deaths (unchanged). This facility has disappeared from the county's stats page, so these numbers are old.
- Brad Haugaard
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