Some students in the Denair Unified School District spend so much time playing video games or engaging with social media that it reduces the time they have for school-related homework, doing chores and interacting with family and friends. Still others report they don’t get enough sleep at night because they’re too busy texting, making video calls or returning to their favorite social media sites, according to Lina Villegas, a mental health clinician for the Denair district.

Some parents have told Villegas that they have noticed mood changes in their children such as irritability and physical aggression such as breaking a TV or video game console, punching a wall or yelling and screaming if they lose at a video game. Parents have said their children sometimes isolate themselves in their rooms while others report being victims of cyberbullying.

All these situations and more is why Villegas hosted a meeting for parents recently at Denair Middle School to talk about the risks to children who spend too much time online. A representative from Legacy Health Endowment in Turlock led a discussion centered around two parental guides – one on video games, the other on social media – that the organization created with the specific purpose of educating parents about the dangers. The guides are available in English and Spanish on the LHE website. 

The potential for harm to children from too much time spent online is real. Earlier this year, the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a health advisory about social media aimed at protecting American children. Despite the warning signs, many parents still do not fully appreciate the potential threats their children face from cyberbullying and online predators. 

LHE’s guides are one attempt to address the knowledge gap too many parents don’t recognize even exists. The guides are full of easy-to-understand information about the most popular social media sites and gaming portals, and include practical tips, a glossary of key terms and other advice about how parents can better safeguard their children.  

The meeting was attended by 15 parents and three students. 

“The group was very appreciative to have the information and many acknowledged learning new info, especially around gaming,” said Amy Wolfe, a Legacy official who led the discussion. “There was a shared frustration about not fully understanding the complexity of and how fast social media and gaming changes.”

Villegas said there are many potential risks children face when they spend too much time unsupervised online:

• Children often share their personal information, such as their location in real-time, their name, their date of birth, where they go to school and if they are alone at home, making them an easy target for online predators.  
• When kids play video games, they often play with individuals from other states, never having actual physical interaction with them, and it is difficult to know if they are children or not.
• Some gaming sites contain online gambling, creating risky opportunities to develop new addictions. 
• Pre-teens and teens are usually curious about the dating world, and they often start engaging in multiple online dating sites on which they create false profiles, exposing themselves to inappropriate mature content.  

Villegas recommended that parents talk to their children about what they’re doing and seeing online, know their passwords so they can routinely monitor what they’ve been exposed to and set a good example of appropriate online behavior or “netiquette.” 

“It is essential that parents set limits on the amount of time their kids spend online and the types of applications they are allowed to use or download on their phones,” Villegas said. “Children must learn that it is okay to unplug each night as part of their nighttime routine and to stop using their electronics for at least one or two hours before bed.”

One of the Denair mothers who attended the meeting told Villegas that she and other parents have a lot of homework to do to read the guides and help protect their children. The mother admitted that she sometimes falls asleep while her son is playing games online. Her goal is to become more attentive to what he’s doing.

“If parents create a habit of having an open and constant conversation with their children about what to post, what not to post, what to do if someone makes an inappropriate request, and that not everything that the children watch on social media is real, it will create a positive relationship between guardians, children and social media,” Villegas advised. “Additionally, parents must be creative and offer their kids other offline opportunities to help them disconnect from their devices, such as having meals without devices, family nights, outdoor activities or gatherings with friends in real life.”

Villegas also encouraged parents to become familiar with how to use the privacy and other safety settings on their children’s phones and devices. The guides go into detail about how to do that with social media sites like Facebook or Instagram, the newer ones such as TikTok and Snapchat, or popular gaming sites like Twitch or Discord.

Villegas offered these resources for parents who would like more information:

• Social Media & Gaming Guides 
• Parental tips: DOWNLOAD C.R.A.M. & ACE INTERNET SAFETY 
• Are video games and screens another addiction?
• Is Your Teen Addicted to Tech? How to Stop Panicking and Create Healthy Solutions
• YouTube Video: Keeping Kids Safe from Online Predators

Denair will host another online-themed parental meeting on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in Room E4 on the middle school campus. Casey Cooper, a detective with the Special Victims Unit of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, will talk about “Internet Safety and Human Trafficking.”

It is a fun event timed to the Halloween season and this year’s fourth annual Trunk or Treat gathering on at Denair High School was the best one yet.

More than a hundred children – from pre-schoolers to high school age – plus dozens of adults came together Thursday night in the Denair High student parking lot for a spooky celebration organized by the school’s 119-member FFA chapter.

At Trunk or Treat, FFA students, their parents and other community members are encouraged to drive their decorated cars and trucks to the school. Almost everyone also dresses up in Halloween costumes. Prizes are awarded for favorite vehicle as well as best costume.

And of course, since it’s a Halloween event, there is plenty of candy to be handed out.

Denair ag advisor Christian Obando said it was difficult to narrow down the most creatively decorated car or truck. There were 32 vehicles entered.

“We had vehicles with smoke and lights, some with games, inflatables, balloons, and we even had a vehicle with a hay bale background and pumpkins,” he said.

The winner received a Halloween gift basket put together by Denair’s FFA officers.

A group wearing “Cat in the Hat” and “Thing 1 through 5” outfits were voted to have the best costumes, earning them king-sized candy bars as a reward.

During the hourlong event, children went from car to car to Trunk or Treat, filling up their bags or baskets with their favorite sweet treats. The Denair FFA folks even stayed a little longer so some of the Denair Youth Football players practicing on a nearby field could participate.

“The event was amazing,” said Denair High Principal Breanne Aguiar. “I loved seeing so many schools and the community come together.”

This year for the first time, other FFA groups in the Tri-Rivers Section (which includes Denair and eight other high schools) participated. They were from Pitman, Turlock, Patterson, Orestimba and Ceres.

The extra schools added more energy and fun to the event, Obando said.

“They brought their vehicles to decorate, passed out candy and brought their young ones to enjoy a night full of candy and fun,” he said, promising that next year’s event will be “even bigger and better.”

By definition and design, the independent study high school students at Denair Charter Academy do not have as much daily face-to-face interaction with each other or their teachers as at traditional campus settings. That flexibility doesn’t mean, however, that small groups of students can’t come together for important purposes.

Starting with this school year, those joint activities have included monthly career workshops arranged by first-year Principal Jamie Pecot and her staff.

In September, a local mental health clinician talked with students about that profession. There have been two workshops in October – the first featuring representatives from the Air Force and Army talking about military careers; the second with a man from the Institute of Technology in Modesto discussing trade schools. In November, DCA students will hear from an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) as well as a firefighter. A session on welding is scheduled in January, with other topics to be determined.

The idea, Pecot explained, is to give students an idea about potential professions they may know little about.

“My goal is to expose students to career opportunities after high school that the students may not be aware of right now,” she said.

There are many reasons that DCA makes sense for its students. Some have not done well in traditional settings; others have family or work obligations that require them to complete their studies outside a typical schedule.

Regardless of how or why they arrived at DCA, Pecot believes it’s critical that her students have a chance to explore as many career options as possible. Though some DCA graduates go on to attend community colleges or even four-year universities, many others move more quickly into the workforce. That makes knowing about how to join the military, attend a trade school or find an employer who offers an apprenticeship even more practical. 

Student Nicole Peterson was impressed by the military recruiters.

“They were open about how the programs work and what will come if you take the programs and what advantages and disadvantages there are,” she said.

Petersen also attended the Institute of Technology workshop and learned that “you don’t always need a degree for certain careers you want to have.”

Naheemy Ayon Garcia complimented the Institute of Technology presentation, saying it was “in student-friendly language.” 

Juan Russell also thought the Institute of Technology workshop was “easy to understand” and liked how the training can help “students to get good jobs and good careers.”

Before becoming principal at DCA this year, Pecot taught at the school for nine years. She said the staff tried to share career-based information before, but it “fizzled out” for various reasons. Inviting outside presenters from the public and private sectors to the campus this year was an idea that appears to appeal to students.

Between seven and 12 teens have attended each workshop and Pecot expects the upcoming session with an EMT and firefighter to draw even more.

Already, one of the students who listened to the mental health clinician contacted the speaker to gather more information about what he does.

That’s the idea, Pecot said. Who knows which career path might resonate with a DCA student who otherwise might not have known about it? The potential job categories are chosen based on feedback from students.

“A staff member will pick a career that several students have shown interest in attending, then start researching how to find a professional in that area,” Pecot explained. “Sometimes, staff have contacts to those professions, but not always.  The presenter may not know anyone on campus; they just may be an expert in their field.”

Three years ago, the Denair Unified School District hired a Bay Area company to help it create what is known as a facilities master plan, or FMP. It was intended to be a road map that would guide district officials as they weigh how Denair’s classrooms, kitchens, libraries and sports facilities can best complement the district’s core academic mission.

In the time since the FMP was developed, a few of the items on the list have been addressed, but most remain. In some cases, the long-term needs have only come into sharper focus and are likely to become more expensive as time goes by.

Thursday night, Denair’s Board of Trustees had an initial discussion of how they might pay for a range of building improvements that are estimated to cost up to $22 million. And though there is some construction-related money likely available from the state, most of it requires school districts like Denair to put up what are called matching funds. The only way to do that typically is through school bonds, when voters agree to raise money through assessments added to their property tax bills.

“It’s not realistic to think we could fund the 92 projects (on the FMP list) from the general fund,” Daisy Swearingen, the district’s chief business official, told trustees. The general fund is the day-to-day operating account that pays teacher salaries and pension donations, equipment, textbooks, utilities, regular maintenance and transportation costs.

Property owners in the Denair district currently are paying off two bond measures – Measure P, passed in 2001, and Measure K, passed in 2007. The earliest another bond measure could be put on a ballot is November 2024. Should it gain the required 55% support for passage, Swearingen said the 2001 bond would be paid off before the new bond would go into effect.

That potential timing of one bond going away as another began, district officials agreed, would be critical to convincing local voters to approve a new bond. Swearingen said that If the new bond was worth $22 million, the annual amount to repay it would be less than the Measure P bond. In other words, property tax bills would not go up.

“We could start educating now that that bond is going to drop off,” suggested Trustee Ray Prock Jr. “It might change some minds in favor.”

Much has to happen before any final decision about a new bond would be made next spring.

Thursday, trustees directed Superintendent Terry Metzger and her staff to review and prioritize the FMP developed in 2020 by Caldwell Flores Winters, an Emeryville firm that specials in school facilities projects. An updated FMP and estimated cost is due back to the board in January.

The next step would be a community survey taken by phone in April to gauge potential support for a new bond. The survey results would be reported to the board in May and discussed in public. A board vote to place a bond on the November 2024 ballot would come in June.

“We need to see what the updated FMP looks like and what the community thinks,” said Trustee Carmen Wilson.

The timing of the next steps is important, Metzger told trustees.

“If we don’t get on the 2024 ballot, we would have to wait until 2026 because bonds needing 55% (to pass) are only allowed in even years,” she said. “In odd years, the threshold is 67%. It’s a big difference.”

High on the list of facilities needs is modernizing the Denair Elementary Charter Academy campus, which was built in the 1940s. Metzger said the electrical wiring infrastructure needs to be replaced, old classrooms updated to handle new technology, the kitchen upgraded and the restrooms renovated.

Also in need of work are the gyms at DECA, Denair Middle School and Denair High School, and other athletic facilities including the football stadium. In addition, the district also is committed to making additional improvements to safety and security at all its campuses.

“I know the community is interested in seeing that our campuses are as secure as possible. That’s the No. 1 thing I hear,” Metzger said. 

In other action Thursday, trustees:

• Heard a report from Anajanzy Montoya, the district’s English Language Development coordinator. There are 274 students in the district – including 131 at DECA – for whom English is a second language, she told trustees. The district develops a plan for each of them to help them progress through four stages of learning the language, become fully fluent and eventually get reclassified. Before any new student enrolls in the district, the family must complete a survey about whether other languages are spoken in their homes. For those who say “yes,” Montoya and her staff follow up with a home interview to assess the student’s English ability before he or she begins school.
• Listened to an update on the district’s special education program from Amanda Silva, the director of special education and student support services. She said 148 of Denair’s 1,275 students – roughly 12% — are in the special ed program. Depending on their needs, special ed students can be in the general education track or in smaller classes that focus on teaching academic as well as social and life skills. Though the district prides itself on providing many services, Silva said a handful of more targeted services are delivered through contracts with the Stanislaus County Office of Education.
• Heard an update about the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), which delivers additional tutoring to K-12 students before and after the regular school day at DECA, DMS and DHS. It begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. Much of the focus has been on math, Metzger said, but all subjects are covered. There are 160 ELOP students at DECA, 48 at DMS and 16 at DHS.
• Heard a report on the new iReady tests, which replaced NWEA as the way students are evaluated on how they are doing in relation to state standards. Metzger said iReady includes a computer platform for skills development and practice that is more closely aligned to what is being taught in class and ultimately measured by state tests three times a year. The district’s principals talked to trustees about the first round of iReady results, which showed many of Denair’s students are two to three grade levels behind in core subjects like math, English and reading. Intervention programs – like ELOP – are in place across the district to help students catch up.
• Approved a trip to Indianapolis Oct. 31 to Nov. 5 for the National FFA Leadership Convention for 10 Denair High FFA students, one ag adviser and one female chaperone. The district will pick up the $3,300 cost of registration for the students and teacher. The Ag Boosters to cover lodging, transportation and meals, and the FFA ASB to cover tours, entertainment and other group activities. 
• Accepted a $124,272 CalSHAPE Plumbing Program grant for upgrades at Denair Middle School. The application included 36 interior faucets, four toilets and one urinal. These are units that are currently non-compliant plumbing fixtures that fail to meet water efficiency standards.

Fresh off its first Southern League football victory of the season, Denair will try to make it two in a row Friday night when it hosts Delhi to cap Homecoming Week.

The Coyotes relied on two rushing touchdowns by wingback Jayden Hensley and a swarming defense to shut out Mariposa 14-0 on the road last week. 

“It was definitely one of our better games of the year,” assessed Denair Coach Anthony Armas. “We defended the run very well and were efficient on offense. In our Le Grand game (a 35-17 Denair loss), we played a great first half. This was first time we put together a full game.”

The closest Mariposa (0-4, 0-7) came to scoring was in the fourth quarter when the Grizzlies drove to inside Denair’s 10-yard line. But Coyote cornerback Angel Rosas – defending a fade pattern — ended that threat when he intercepted a pass in the end zone.

Interestingly, both of Denair’s wins this season have come when the Coyotes (1-3, 2-4) held the opposing team scoreless. The first shutout was in the second game when they blanked Riverbank 20-0.

This week’s Homecoming festivities include a parade through downtown Friday at lunch featuring floats decorated by the freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior classes. Kings and queens will be announced at a pep rally.

On paper, Delhi (1-3, 1-5) looks like an even matchup with the Coyotes, but Armas thinks that’s misleading. The Hawks got into a brawl against El Capitan of Merced in their first game when players as well as people from the stands were fighting on the field. The Sac-Joaquin Section shut down the program for three weeks – costing Delhi a forfeit loss to Ceres – and suspended eight starters for five games. Those players all are expected to be available Friday.

“They’re very physical,” Armas said. “Their record doesn’t indicate how good they are.”

As has been the case all season, Denair again will be at a disadvantage, numbers wise. The Coyotes’ 19-player roster is one of the smallest in the league, even with two players having joined the team when they became eligible after first-quarter grades were released. All of Denair’s players play on offense and defense; some of them never come off the field during a game.

“We’ve always got a couple of kids banged up,” Armas acknowledged. “I’m hoping we have 15 or 16 ready to go Friday night.”

After this week, there will be only two games left in the regular season. Denair will finish its Southern League schedule in Newman against Orestimba (3-1, 4-3) on Oct. 20 and then home versus Waterford (1-3, 2-5) on Oct. 27.