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)

• In person: Wednesday, November 19, 6–7 p.m.
• Zoom: Thursday, November 20, 7–8 p.m.
  Purpose: recap the Nov 12 direction (again, no decision to close), explain why the Board initiated a process (structural deficit, enrollment trends, small-school sustainability over time), and gather your questions and priorities to shape the plan that will be presented on Dec 10.

Board meeting

• Wednesday, December 10, 6:00 p.m. at
  Purpose: the Superintendent will present the overall process and timeline — how input will be gathered, when/where meetings will occur, and how information will flow to the Board.
  (This is not a data/alternatives presentation.)

December parent meetings (scheduled after Dec 10)

• Dates and details will be announced at the beginning of December.
  Purpose: share and discuss the data, review financial information, and explain how small schools are being evaluated — with time for questions and feedback.

January Parent Meetings & Board update, dates will be shared on Dec 10

• Parent Meetings: (additional input)
• Board update: synthesis of what's been heard; the Board may vote or request more information

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 Protection

Dear 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]