Greetings, and Happy Holidays from the Nevada Joint Union High School District.

Over the past several months, our community has experienced a number of troubling incidents involving violence among young adults. I want to acknowledge the concern and harm these events have caused, and to reaffirm our shared responsibility to ensure that our schools and community remain safe, inclusive, and supportive places for all.

At NJUHSD, our work has been focused on three core priorities – Fiscal Stabilization, Academic Achievement, and the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of our schools and community. The well-being of our students and staff is foundational to everything we do. We have worked hard to effectively balance the district’s budget so that we can remain solvent, and we have achieved academic progress across state measures in ELA, Math, and Science, districtwide, in each of the last three school years. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teachers and support staff, year over year.

Over the past three years, the District has taken deliberate steps to strengthen a safe and healthy school culture. These efforts have included districtwide training focused on recognizing and responding to incidents of harassment, discrimination, and bullying. Last year, site and district administrators participated in four full days of professional learning centered around cultural responsiveness, consistent discipline practices, and effective and appropriate responses to incidents targeting race, gender, or sexual orientation.

A key component of this work has been helping our school community understand the unique roles that individuals may play during such incidents. Specifically, the roles of the Perpetrator, Target, Bystander, and (most critically) Upstanders who choose to intervene, interrupt, or seek help during these types of events. We believe empowering individuals to serve as Upstanders is essential to preventing harm and reinforcing our shared community values of respect and accountability.

This Fall, all 340 of our district staff participated in training aligned with these principles. We will continue building learning opportunities for our 9-12th grade students, as well as our dedicated staff, as this work evolves.

I want to be abundantly clear, the Nevada Joint Union High School District does not tolerate incidents of violence, hate, harassment, discrimination, or bullying in any form. As superintendent, it is both a moral and professional imperative to me that our schools are safe for all students to learn and thrive, and that we prepare students not only for academic success, but to be compassionate, responsible citizens, locally and globally.

I am grateful to be in a position to serve our community, and I am thankful for the strong partnerships we share with local law enforcement agencies, the County of Nevada, the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools, our local K-8 school districts, our private business partners, and our community nonprofit organizations. Together, we are united by a common goal of supporting young people to reach their potential and fostering a community where all individuals can contribute thoughtfully, respectfully, and positively.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to our students, parents, families, and our broader community partners. Thank you for your continued partnership and for the care you show for our schools and our community. I wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

Dan Frisella
Superintendent, Nevada Joint Union High School District

If anyone would like to hear further about the steps that NJUHSD is taking to improve the Health, Safety, and Culture of our schools, please reach out for a time to meet – dfrisella@njuhsd.com.

NJUHSD Vision: To be California’s District of Choice, preparing all students for College, Career, and Life.