schools

It’s been an unpredictable few weeks for all of us, but especially for schools, students, families, teachers, and staff members.

Just ask Jen Wilkerson: she’s a school psychologist in Ventura County’s Oak Park Unified School district. A month ago, she had no idea that she would have to figure out how to work with families online.

Wilkerson admits its uncharted territory, but everyone is trying hard to make it work.

Class is in session for science teacher Roger Newell.

The 8th grade teacher at Oak Park’s Medea Creek Middle School has been an educator for more than three decades, but today he’s one of the students, so to speak, learning about a new approach to teaching science being implemented in California.

Hundreds of educators are at a Ventura County Office of Education conference in Camarillo looking at California’s new science standards, and how to implement them in classrooms.

From threats of massive deportations, to claims he will build a massive wall between the U.S. and Mexico, candidate, and now President-elect Donald Trump’s positions on immigration have created concern, and fear among undocumented U.S. residents.

The questions about what will happen with the immigration issue after Donald Trump has elected has filtered down to the region’s schools. Dr. Christine Walker is Superintendent of the Hueneme Elementary School District. Walker says many kids have had fears that they, or their families will be deported.

A number of school districts on the Central and South Coasts have taken stands on the issue, to try to provide some reassurance to students, and parents.

It’s a tiny, and poor South Coast community so small it doesn’t have restaurants or gas stations. Unfortunately, for the hundreds of kids who live there, it also doesn’t even have a park.

But, thanks to a campaign involving everyone from community residents, to government leaders it’s soon going to have its own community center, and park.

KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.