The Ventura County Office of Education is aware of new rumors circulating on social media, specifically TikTok, threatening violence at schools nationwide on December 17. While these threats are unsubstantiated and do not mention Ventura County schools specifically, some local schools may be taking extra safety measures around their campuses on December 17. Many also have counselors available for students who would like to speak to someone. Ensuring that schools are safe places for students and ...

Across the country and here in Ventura County, schools are seeing a concerning increase in students making inappropriate and potentially dangerous posts to social media, particularly on Instagram. These posts have included threats of violence and embarrassing pictures of students and staff members who didn’t know they were being photographed. In some cases, students create accounts that fraudulently appear to represent their school.Just yesterday, a social media threat created a significan...

Expanded Vaccine Availability • Vaccine Q&A for Parents • Free Digital Library • Pay Raise for Substitutes • Equity Conference • Arleigh Kidd Joins Board of Education

The Ventura County Board of Education has unanimously voted to appoint Arleigh Kidd as the new board member representing trustee area four. The longtime Simi Valley educator will fill the seat that was left vacant when Rob Collins stepped down from the board on October 25 due to health reasons. Kidd assumed his new role immediately after taking the oath of office at the November 29 board meeting in Camarillo.  Growing up in Simi Valley, Kidd attended local public schools. He served in the M...

After a lengthy and thorough review and testing process, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children as young as five years old. Whether you plan to be among the first to get your kids vaccinated or still have reservations, there are some important things to know about this latest tool in the battle against the coronavirus and what it means for Ventura County schools.

Veteran educator Rob Collins has announced his resignation from the Ventura County Board of Education. Collins was elected to the board in 2018 for the second time. He had previously served as a board trustee from 2002 to 2004. He also served for twelve years as a trustee for the Simi Valley Unified School District Board of Education and has many years of experience as a classroom teacher and school administrator. Collins was honored as the Simi Valley Teacher of the Year in 1998. Collins s...

The Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) is increasing the daily pay rate for substitute teachers who work at its schools. Effective October 11, 2021, the daily rate for the first ten days of substitute teaching increased from $135 to $200. For day 11 onward, the rate went up from $155 to $220. VCOE operates special education schools throughout Ventura County that serve students with disabilities and behavioral issues. Anyone interested in working as a substitute at one of our schools shoul...

Reflections on the New School Year from the Superintendent • Emotional Wellbeing Conference for Parents and Educators • Get Involved with VEX Robotics, Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, and the Science Fair • New High Tech Lab to Become a Field Trip Destination

The first day of school is always special, but this year it held even deeper meaning for obvious reasons. It was a real pleasure for me to visit some of our local schools as students arrived for the start of the new school year. You could feel the joy and excitement as students were welcomed back by their teachers from Ojai to Oxnard to Westlake and everywhere in between.

In its most recent communication on August 9, 2021, Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) addressed “new testing requirements” with a reference to guidance from California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on June 16, 2021, which indicated: “Testing is one layer in a multi-layered approach to COVID-19 prevention, in addition to other key measures such as vaccination, mask wearing, improved ventilation, physical distancing, and respiratory and hand hygiene.”VCPH’s gui...