Washington Unified School District leaders presented an overview of the district’s community schools work Sept. 25, telling the board that coordinators and site-based programs supported thousands of students and families through services ranging from food distribution to college-access activities.

June Flores, director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Community Schools and Student Leadership), told the board that more than 1,700 students participated in community school activities across the district’s four primary sites and that back-to-school events served over 1,000 families with backpacks, supplies and meals.

“Families accessed food distributions, supply closets, and just as importantly, they had personal check-ins with facilitators who know their names and their stories,” Flores said. She outlined site-level services: at Elkhorn and Westfield the Vision to Learn program reached nearly 1,000 students this year with screenings and more than 200 students identified as needing glasses; Elkhorn’s monthly food distribution supported nearly 200 families; River City High School provides a food pantry year-round and college-access activities including scholarship and financial-aid workshops; Riverbank and Westfield offer peer tutoring and expanded enrichment such as music, gymnastics and Girls Who Code.

Flores also described staffing: each site has a dedicated community school facilitator who coordinates partnerships, volunteers and events and provides translations and family outreach. She said peer tutoring launched last year has expanded across all four sites and that the district plans to grow after-school and family-facing workshops on mental health and financial literacy.

Board members thanked staff and said they would attend the district multicultural celebration on Oct. 29 at River City High School, a district-hosted event Flores announced would run from 5 to 7 p.m.

Ending: Flores asked the board to continue supporting community school staffing and partnerships; trustees praised the program and promised on-site visits to see services in action.