PUHSD interviews to provide info about distance learning

Beginning later this week, Menifee 24/7 will conduct video interviews with administrators in the Perris Union High School District regarding the decision to open the school year with a distance learning model for all students.

Parents have the opportunity to state their opinions during the public comments section of school board meetings; the next PUHSD board meeting is this Tuesday. But asking questions in that environment is not as productive, because the Brown Act prohibits board members and administrators from responding to them.

Media interviews outside of such meetings gives us as reporters more freedom in seeking information. We appreciate the willingness of PUHSD Superintendent Grant Bennett and other district administrators to participate with us in Zoom interviews to answer your questions – and ours as well.

The first video interview will be with Bennett and will be broadcast Thursday at 7 p.m. on our website and Facebook page. In the days following, we will broadcast interviews with other administrators about various aspects of the distance learning model – either one-on-one or in small groups. Each interview will be pre-recorded for airing that evening.

To facilitate the questions you might have, we have set up a special email account – menifee247schools@gmail.com. You are invited to send us your questions and we will do our best to pose questions to the interview subject deemed most appropriate to answer them. We will accept questions from students as well as parents and other interested parties.

In addition to Bennett, other scheduled interview subjects include Dr. Charles Newman, assistant superintendent of educational services; Candace Reines, deputy superintendent of business services; and Joseph Williams, executive director of technology. We also plan to invite school board members, principals and teachers to join us in one-on-one or small group video interview sessions if they are willing.

We urge you to submit your questions by 10 p.m. on Tuesday. They do not have to be addressed to a particular person, but rather focused on a particular topic. You may ask to remain anonymous if you wish. You may also make general comments, but this program will be more effective in a Q&A format than as an opportunity for complaints and criticism.

Comments made on our Facebook threads may not necessarily be considered as questions to be asked. Please use the email address for that. And remember, this only pertains to high school students at Paloma Valley and Heritage high schools. After the elementary school districts make their decisions, we will consider whether similar interviews should be conducted.

Menifee 24/7 is doing this as a public service, not to provide a platform for complaining about a decision that has already been made. The purpose of these interviews is not to judge a small group of administrators, but rather to ask them specifically how they will make this work for a large group of students.