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Climate change education is now a priority for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, thanks to a student-led initiative to improve climate literacy.
As part of the district’s commitment, it has agreed to assess climate literacy across all grade levels, charter a task force during the 2024-25 school year to strengthen climate-related education and support collaboration with local agencies that work on sustainability and climate science.
To solidify the district’s dedication, its Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution called “Responding to Climate Change through Education” at a regular meeting on Oct. 15.
“Passing this resolution gives me absolute faith that the future of Livermore and beyond will be eternally stable in the hands of our new generation, the young adults and students who cared enough to push for this,” curriculum advocate Claire Gresham said in a statement.
Behind the resolution are recent graduates of Granada High School, Gresham and Alexander Pepper, as well as current Livermore High School seniors Thaarak Sriram and Shrish Premkrishna.
In the resolution, the youth leaders voiced concern about the impact of climate change.
“Prioritization of K-12 climate change education will provide LVJUSD the opportunity to create an educational environment that successfully prepares Livermore students for the climate change challenges ahead,” they wrote in the resolution.
They suggest all educators incorporate climate-relevant topics into their classes and lesson plans.
To help with implementation of the climate curriculum, the district is set to create a climate literacy task force composed of students from both high schools as well as teachers from various disciplines and senior leadership — officials confirmed that this group is set to form in spring of 2025.
As for the district’s relationship with outside entities, the city is set to work with students to give them the chance to apply their education in real world ways, according to Tricia Pontau, sustainability manager for the city of Livermore.
To write the resolution, youth leaders drew from their experience in the new Tri-Valley Youth Climate Action Program by Quest Science Center — a Livermore-based organization which works to inspire lifelong engagement in science and technology — as well as the Livermore Youth Climate Summit, where high schoolers learned about how to combat climate change, according to the Quest website.
Under the guidance of Quest leadership, the youth surveyed peers and teachers throughout the city’s high schools to better understand their perspectives on climate literacy. Given over 600 responses, they found overwhelming support for enhanced climate education.
“Greater understanding of the sources of climate change, of actions needed to reduce greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and of adaptation approaches that are just and equitable are of paramount importance for LVJUSD students,” youth leaders reported in the resolution.
After the initial community feedback, the youth leaders met with the LVJUSD superintendent and board members for input on writing a resolution to boost climate education in the district, according to a recent district announcement.
In addition to backing by the school board, the resolution also garnered support from the Livermore Education Association — a union representing teachers, counselors, nurses, psychologists, teachers on special assignment and speech pathologists within the district, according to the announcement.
The resolution is also credited to students at GHS and LHS as well as members of the Tri-Valley Youth Climate Action Project.
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