By Kaylee Eiber & Jessica Lu,
Staff Writers
District discontinues Zoom
TC Virtual Academy opened its doors for the first time on Google Meets, straying from Zoom conferences. The district did not renew its contract with Zoom because of safety concerns and privacy issues.
Zoom classes were easily accessible, simply needing a link to enter. Because of this, teachers could not verify who was joining before they let them in, resulting in a large number of Zoom bombers, uninvited people joining a class meeting. These recurring security breaches led the district to decide that TCVA would not be on Zoom.
“The teachers have a harder time with Google Meets, especially because they had Zoom all of last year,” TCVA sophomore Milan Durkee said. “I feel like they got used to Zoom.”
Though TCUSD stopped using Zoom, other districts such as LAUSD continue to use the platform.
The district will not use Zoom for TCVA to ensure cybersecurity for students still online.
COVID-19 protocols set for in-person year
School reopening provided students with a chance to see their friends, but came with numerous safety restrictions.
School entry requires daily health screeners on Parent Square or Student Square and social distancing in and out of classes. As students enter class, protocol requires hand sanitation. Students must wear masks when not eating or drinking, and they may not eat or drink while indoors.
TCUSD staff must get vaccinated or get tested for COVID-19 weekly. Students and staff can receive free COVID-19 tests at the district office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-6 p.m.
In the event that a student tests positive, anyone in contact with that student must quarantine until a negative COVID-19 test result. Unvaccinated students must quarantine for a minimum of ten days in addition to a negative result. The district will notify all families within 24 hours of discovering a student with COVID-19.
The TCUSD website offers information on current COVID-19 statistics, including total quarantined students, cases at each school and vaccination rates.
“With a mask, I can’t see students’ expressions so I have to check for understanding in a wide variety of ways,” health teacher Randy Backus said. “With the virus and all the implications that came with it, there’s been a greater emphasis on empathy for people that are suffering.”
New staff on campus
TCHS welcomes new staff this fall as it reopens for the first time since quarantine.
New to campus are Principal Fil Lujan, football coach Laron Johnson, Special Education teacher Sheena Ishiwaka and staff psychologist Lynne Greenup. Other new staff members include Spanish teacher Vanessa Cebrowski, substitute counselor Monique Mondragon and counseling clerk Xiomara Cordova.
Cebrowski began on Thursday, Sept. 2. She started teaching full time in 2014 at Arroyo High School in El Monte. Her most recent teaching position was as a long-term Spanish substitute teacher at Palm Springs High School.
“Seeing students develop an interest in the language over time is something that really motivates me.” Cebrowski said. “Coming from a different background, my students’ different cultures really interest me, and I enjoy learning about them.”
Mondragon is currently substituting for counselor Monica Viss, who is expected to return mid-November. She worked as a teacher’s assistant for LAUSD at Yorkdale Elementary School for five years.
Xiomara Cordova is the new counseling clerk. Her first experience working in an elementary school was as a fitness instructor at Alhambra Unified. She worked as a substitute clerk and classroom aide at South Pasadena and moved to Oak in the spring of 2020.