| From: | Crystal Leach <cleach@seq.org> |
| To: | Mary Beth Thompson <mbthompson@seq.org> |
| Date: | Fri, Nov 14, 2025, 4:47 PM |
| Subject: | Re: TIDE Academy -- Parent Request for Transparency and Student Protection |
Draft response. Please BCC me and the board when you reply.
Dear [REDACTED]
Thank you for writing and for sharing [REDACTED] experience. I hear how important TIDE is to him and to your family, and I'm sorry for the worry this is causing.
To clarify: on November 12th, the action the Board took was to direct the Superintendent to begin a public, community-involved process -- one that engages parents, students, and staff -- to discuss and consider TIDE's future before any decision is made. The Superintendent will present that process and timeline at the December 10 Board meeting.
Here's what to expect next:
Parent meetings (next week, TIDE-only)
Board meeting
December parent meetings (scheduled after Dec 10)
January Parent Meetings & Board update, dates will be shared on Dec 10
Day-to-day school operations continue, and nothing about your student's current experience changes as a result of the Nov 12 action.
If you'd like to submit specific questions in advance for the Superintendent's team, email {name/email address}. These questions help shape the December and January meetings.
Thank you again for your thoughtful message and advocacy. Your voice — and [REDACTED] — will be part of this process.
Crystal Leach, Superintendent
Sequoia Union High School District
480 James Avenue
Redwood City, California 94062
(650) 369-1411
On Fri, Nov 14, 2025 at 3:32 PM Mary Beth Thompson <mbthompson@seq.org> wrote:
Do you want me to draft something based on the notes provided? If so how much do you want me to address her questions?
Begin forwarded message:
From: [REDACTED]
Date: November 14, 2025 at 1:12:03 PM PST
To: mbthompson@seq.org
Subject: TIDE Academy -- Parent Request for Transparency and Student ProtectionDear Ms. Thompson,
My name is [REDACTED], and my son, [REDACTED], is a 10th grade student at TIDE Academy. I am writing because the committee recommendation you presented on November 12 -- to begin a formal process that may lead to the closure of TIDE -- has already caused significant distress to our families and students.
[REDACTED] is a student who, for years, struggled to find a school environment where he felt safe and supported. We tried multiple schools, including private ones, and none of them provided what TIDE has given him: a sense of belonging, friends he trusts, teachers who know him personally, and academic programs that genuinely engage him. For the first time, he is thriving -- socially, emotionally, and academically.
TIDE was created intentionally by SUHSD, designed by district leadership, funded with voter-approved Measure A bond money, and built as a long-term STEM/STEAM investment. It is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art campus opened only five years ago.
Any proposal to consider closing TIDE so soon is not only destabilizing -- it contradicts the District's own commitments and obligations to taxpayers, who funded this school based on the promise of a permanent, innovative program.Parents deserve to know:
- why TIDE was targeted without prior communication
- what data your committee used
- why small schools are being examined selectively
- and what alternatives were considered before recommending a closure process
I will be present at the November 19 meeting among other parents and we expect a clear, transparent explanation of how this recommendation was formed and why families were excluded from the initial review. Our community deserves accountability, and our students deserve stability -- not uncertainty.
We will not quietly accept a process that endangers a school intentionally built by the District and relied upon by so many families. Parent voices, including mine, must be fully included as this moves forward.
Sincerely,
[REDACTED]
TIDE Academy Parent
[REDACTED]