Lucerne Valley Unified School District’s reputation for always putting students’ interests first was clearly evident at the three-day Small School Districts’ Association Annual Conference in Sacramento on March 6-8.
The district’s proactive approach to dealing with matters such as seeking the reduction of mask and vaccine mandates, and getting schools open safely and early were mentioned at the event. For that and other factors, Peter Livingston was was one of the nominees for the SSDA’s “Superintendent of the Year” award.
“We got mentioned a lot at the conference,” said school board member Jim Harvey. “We actually got a standing ovation. Peter (Livingston) definitely has a reputation, and it’s a good reputation.”
“Peter is here for the kids,” said school board president Jessica Risler, who also attended the conference. “He’s here for the community. He’s here for better education and he definitely breaks the mold. He’s a great superintendent.”
Other Superintendent of the Year finalists were Keila Rodriquez (Meadows USD), Heidi Torix (Eastern Sierra School District), Steve Tsuboi (Sunnyside USD), Dr. Helio Brasil (Keyes Union), and Dr. Giovanni H. Annous (Upper Lake District Superintendent).
LVUSD officials who attended the conference included Superintendent Peter Livingston, Assistant Superintendent Nate Lambdin, School Board President Jessica Risler, Vice-President Chelsea LaGrange, Secretary Jason Hansen and board members Tom Courtney and Jim Harvey. Student Emilia Daniels was one of the Mighty Future Leaders who created an art exhibit of mental health depictions.
“Having Emilia Daniels part of the Mighty Future Leaders is an excellent opportunity to build skills that will help her be successful in life,” Mr. Livingston told an SSDA representative. “We are proud to have Emilia representing Lucerne Valley at the event. Mental health is an issue that is at the forefront of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Having students actively discuss this and create an art gallery is truly noteworthy.”
With safety of the utmost consideration, Lucerne Valley Elementary School was the first public school in the county to open to in-school learning in the fall of 2020. Also, the Lucerne Valley Unified School District’s five-member Board of Trustees unanimously voted on Oct. 14, 2021 to take a stand against mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students and staff.
The four-page resolution, which outlines the LVUSD position on vaccination mandates for schools, cited a number of points substantiated by references to court cases. The key points included the trustees belief in parental choice, the lack of legal authority to mandate COVID-19 vaccines, the virus’s relatively low risk to school-aged children, the constitutional protection for people to deny unwanted medical treatment, scientific studies indicating that people who have recovered from COVID- 19 may have “more durable and long-lasting immunity to COVID-19 than individuals with vaccine induced immunity,” and that California constitutional guarantee to a free public education.
Board Resolution No. 2122-01 became a model resolution for small school districts in the state seeking the best educational opportunities for their students during the pandemic.
Lucerne Valley USD Superintendent Peter Livingston, left, stands with other SSDA Superintendent of the Year nominees during the annual conference on March 6-8.
The Lucerne Valley USD contingent spent some time with Assemblyman Thurston "Smitty" Smith.
Lucerne Valley High School Emilia Daniels, right, was part of the SSDA Mighty Future Leaders.
Peter Livingston was a 2022 Charles Binderup SSDA Superintendent of the Year Nominee.