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Superintendent Update 0201
Community Weekly Update
January came and went quickly, and we welcome February with enthusiasm and much to look forward to, on the academic front as well as with our many clubs and sports. Griffin Academy just added six new clubs, and we thank all our educators who are facilitating clubs this year.
Additional Updates on Artificial Intelligence Policy
The Bay Area is the epicenter of a massive AI-driven worldwide shift in how we all communicate, research, do our jobs and educate our students. With this shift, schools must step up their roles as centers of discovery. There are too many chatbots or websites that give our students (and us) everything they want to hear or read. Schools like GTA need to redouble efforts to teach things that robots cannot: to debate, to disagree and to get along with people who have different views. We need to
Griffin Technology Academies has recently updated its AI policy to protect our students, and we know we will have to continue to do so as the technology evolves. We will also continue to evolve our thinking and our practices, as well as fundamentally how we teach students how to learn in the AI era. Stay tuned for more changes to our AI policy as we learn more about how to harness these powerful, amazing, and sometimes dangerous new tools.
Last month, our teachers and staff learned about the state of California and GTA’s updated policies on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Our Director of IT Mac Alvarez and our former Chief Operating Officer Brent Zionic took all of us through the current state of education and how use policies have changed since the first AI platform was introduced in 2024. The most important part of our updated policy for students to know is that it is perfectly acceptable to use AI in student research and writing - as long as it is properly cited, just as our students have learned to use citations of any publication. The citation should include when AI has been used, as well as which platform was used.
The State of California has also updated its guidance for schools on all things AI. You can read more about their guidance here.
The State of California has also updated its guidance for schools on all things AI. GTA’s new policy aligns closely with what other districts and the State of California are doing or advising to do. GTA agrees with the State that AI as a movement and a technology is here to stay, and that students (and staff, and everyone) must learn how to use it in order to stay abreast of what is happening in their academic world. To quote the most recent State Department of Education report on the subject “AI literacy is essential for all members of the school community, including educators and students. Because AI increasingly shapes how people learn, communicate, and make decisions, understanding how AI tools work helps educators use them responsibly and creatively while supporting students in becoming informed, independent thinkers.”
Consolidation of Schools
Now that the board of Vallejo City Unified School District has approved Griffin Academy High School’s five-year renewal, our board of directors has decided that two consolidations are necessary to make our schools easier to manage administratively.
The consolidation involves an attempt to merge our two MIT schools into one 6-12 school, and doing the same with our two Griffin Academies. MIT Academy High School and Griffin Academy Middle School are due to be renewed next school year, but it is fairly common to get renewed early, with the school district’s permission.
The change is mostly administrative, making two 6-12 schools out of our current four; if approved, this will make managing and complying with state and local requirements far easier. We currently have to file four times the paperwork that Vallejo City Unified has to (they only have one Local Educational Agency, we have four), and they have many more schools than us.
Technically, this consolidation is called a “material revision,” as we would be revising the five-year charter contracts for our two newly approved schools, MIT Middle and Griffin High, to include the other grades.
On a day to day basis, students, staff and parents would see no difference between the current schools and the future 6-12 schools. We look forward to discussing the plans with parents, students and staff in the near future, as we understand there will be logistical and other questions.
We have submitted our intention to consolidate to VCUSD, and are awaiting their response. We will have a discussion of this new consolidation effort at our board meeting on February 10th.
Athletics Update
Here is the roundup of our teams in action last week:
On Monday, Griffin High Boys Basketball beat Aspire RCP 76- 39
And MIT HS Girls Basketball beat Bay Tech 42-0
While MIT High Boys Basketball beat Arise High 60-16
On Wednesday, Griffin High Boys Basketball beat Summit Tam in a close game, 76- 71
Then on Thursday, Griffin High Boys Basketball defeated John Henry High School 92-30
On Friday, Griffin Girls Volleyball B beat Manzanita 2-0
And Lodestar Middle 2 beat Griffin Middle Volleyball B 2-0
The Booker T Anderson Warriors beat Griffin Middle Boys Basketball 33-29
While AIMS High beat MIT High Boys 64-47
Mental Health Resources in an Unsettled World
Our country continues to be in an unsettled place, increasing anxiety in communities like Vallejo around the state. lIn the wake of last week’s events in Minneapolis, the state of California has provided the following resources. In addition to these external resources, students should feel free to access the Wellness Rooms on each of our three campuses for support. And GTA staff should reach out to HR to inquire about Educator Assistance Programs.
Below are some live links to free mental health and support resources for all Californians.
- For youth, young adults and families, find help at CalHOPE
- For kids, parents & caregivers, get free resources at BrightLife Kids and Soluna
- For older Californians, check out Friendship Line California
- California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project A series of free, evidence-based video and print resources that caregivers and educators can use to teach their kids critical mental health and coping skills
Nick Driver
Superintendent
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