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T U E S DAY, O C TOBE R 6 , 2 0 2 0
Blessings for pets
NEWS-PRESS SPECIAL REPORT
Elephant in the Zoom Parents express concern as SB Unified begins training for Teen Talk By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Parent Janeth Mendoza plans on homeschooling her kids before they reach Goleta Valley Junior High School because of the new sexual education curriculum in the Santa Barbara Unified School District: Teen Talk. The eighth-grade curriculum has attracted a frenzy of positive and negative opinions during school board meetings. It’s a piece of a statewide reaction to the 2016 establishment of the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA), a piece of the Education Code that requires districts to provide
comprehensive sexual education. One Zoom meeting even attracted more than 112 public comments because a large portion wanted to discuss Teen Talk. Many were negative comments, but the district board still unanimously adopted the curriculum. Mrs. Mendoza, a Goleta resident, was among those expressing her opinion. When she heard about the Teen Talk curriculum in February, she started attending school board meetings for the first time. She heard other community members’ concerns and got Please see TEEN TALK on A8
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Chiquita, 17 months old, is held by owner Darlene Fauer as Father Bobby Barbato gave a blessing at the Santa Ines Mission in Solvang.
Solvang mission gives animals kind attention and treats
A statue of St. Francis stands on the table with treats for dogs and cats. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Dogs and cats had a great reason to wag their tail or purr Sunday in Solvang. After all, they knew they were blessed. They sat on the back seats of cars or on the laps of their owners, who drove to the Santa Ines Mission and rolled down the windows. There in the parking lot, Father Bobby Barbato sprinkled holy water on the animals and said a blessing. The kind priest also gave the pets a treat. Nearby, Father Bob Kose stood and watched the procession of cars on a special day. The day meant a lot to friendly dogs like Chiquita, 17 months old and sitting on owner Please see blessings on A8
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Forum to cover Cold Spring bond measure By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Before the Cold Spring School District’s bond measure hits the Nov. 3 ballot, there’s a few things Montecito residents want to know. The district will give a presentation about the measure, L2020, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday via Zoom. Resident Don Miller was shocked when he saw a news article about Cold Spring School District’s bond proposal, Measure L, on the Nov. 3 ballot. He hadn’t heard of the measure and took a screenshot of the article and posted it on Nextdoor. Mr. Miller wasn’t alone. His neighbors without kids in the district also hadn’t heard about it. He is now part of Taxpayers for Responsible School Spending, a group dedicated to raising awareness about Measure L and Cold Spring’s spending. “We’re just trying to raise awareness that this has been very, very poorly handled,” he told the News-Press Monday. “$7.8 million is a lot of money when you don’t have a plan.” The school board has received
Cars line up during the blessings.
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RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
Cold Springs School, located at 2243 Sycamore Canyon Road in Montecito, displayed banners during its in-person reopening in September. The elementary school district seeks $7.8 million in a Nov. 3 bond measure.
an estimate of $9.7 million for the intended improvements, but is only seeking $7.8 million. “We were originally considering a $9.8 million bond, but we felt that was a little bit more than the community was willing to give us right now, considering the economic condition,” district Chief Business Official Yuri Calderon told the News-Press on Sept. 16. Mr. Miller said he wonders what will happen if the district can only fund $7.8 million. Also on the ballot for the Cold Spring School District is an election for two board of trustees spots. Board Vice President Gregg Peterson and member Leslie Kneafsey are not running for reelection. Gabrielle Haas, Trevor Pattison and Jordan M. Quivey are vying for their spots. The district consists of Cold Spring School, which serves elementary grades on its Sycamore Canyon Road campus in Montecito. To participate in Wednesday’s forum, go to coldspringschool.net/ l2020-bond-measure-information. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
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