Classroom windows and doors in the Santa Barbara Unified School District must remain open for increased airflow and to adhere with measures aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Plus, with the resumption of in-person schooling amid the pandemic, more educational instruction is happening outdoors.
Classrooms are a lot colder, but some students often arrive not wearing warm clothing.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation and community donors stepped up to help ensure that students are warm during their lessons and can better concentrate on their schoolwork.
The SBEF launched the Student Fund-a-Need fundraising campaign to provide new jackets for SBUSD students who are receiving in-person learning. The jackets keep students warm while classroom windows and doors are open for COVID-19 safety protocols.
“It was cold,” SBEF Executive Director Margie Yahyavi said. “The kids were shivering.”
About 2,000 students in elementary schools and at Alta Vista Alternative and La Cuesta Continuation high schools have received a jacket so far. The monetary donations cover the cost of purchasing jackets from Columbia Sportswear Co., Carter’s Inc. and OshKosh.
An online campaign had raised more than $47,900 toward the goal of $59,000 as of Tuesday morning. Each jacket costs $20 to $25.
“We tried to get the whole school the same color and match the school color,” Yahyavi said.
There’s still a need for jackets at SBUSD schools, and the SBEF continues to fundraise because more jackets and large-size jackets are needed. Some children also have outgrown their jackets.
“It’s starting to be May gray, so the jackets are still going to be needed,” Yahyavi said. “June gloom, too.”
Many parents lost their jobs because of the pandemic, Yahyavi added.
“Buying new jackets is not a priority,” she said. “The kids are cold. They are coming to school without jackets at all or even inadequate jackets or too small of clothing.”
Two out of three students in the district are socioeconomically disadvantaged, according to SBEF’s impact report for the 2019-20 fiscal year. That figure includes students who come from low-income households, neither parent has a high school diploma, are foster youths or are considered homeless.
“The perception out there is that we are wealthy,” Yahyavi said of the area. “And the truth is, Santa Barbara County has the second-highest level of child poverty in the state of California. That is shocking.”
An educator at Harding University Partnership School in Santa Barbara wrote a personalized thank-you note to the SBEF, expressing gratitude for the foundation providing joy and warmth.
“Thank you for your generosity,” the letter began. “Our school is so fortunate and our students are thrilled.”
The letter continued: “Things I heard from my transitional kindergarten/kindergarten students, ‘They are so warm and soft!’ ‘Do I get to keep this?’”
There’s more to the jackets beyond providing warmth to young learners.
“It helps keep them warm, but it also made them feel proud and excited,” Yahyavi said.
Santa Barbara Community Academy Principal Anna Scharfeld and Cleveland Elementary Principal Gabriel Sandoval said they are incredibly thankful for the support schools have received.
The educators offered the following statement to Noozhawk: “We have excellent ventilation in our classrooms with all the windows and doors open. While this is great in supporting a safe classroom environment, it also creates a cooler climate for our students, and the jackets the Santa Barbara Education Foundation gifted us have been vital in keeping students warm so that they are able to focus on learning.
“All public health guidelines will be followed during indoor and outdoor learning. With the support of additional personnel, schools have been able to devise schedules that allow students to be supervised throughout the day. We could also benefit from additional lightweight fold-up chairs for students to use outdoors as well as additional shading.”
The response to the Student Fund-a-Need campaign has been heartwarming, Yahyavi said.
“People have been super generous with donations,” Yahyavi said, adding that Direct Relief provided a grant of $25,000.
Monetary donations in various amounts are welcome. Click here to make an online donation. For check donations, mail to: 1330 State St., Suite 201, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
According to an online site for the Student Fund-a-Need, the campaign supports SBUSD students’ most critical needs.
“As these needs evolve, we will pivot to new essential needs once projects are completed,” the site noted.
The SBEF promotes private support for the SBUSD, serving more than 13,500 students in 18 schools.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
