Dear Alisal Union School District community,
This morning, Friday, March 15, at approximately 8:15 a.m., a passenger van of the Alisal Union School District was involved in an accident near the intersection of Rogge and Natividad roads. The van was transporting four students who reside in our district’s boundary but attend a program run by the Monterey County Office of Education in the Santa Rita Union School District. The van was about to arrive and drop off the students at La Joya Elementary when it was hit head-on by a car that crossed over onto the lane of our van.
Two of the students, the driver and an additional rider who accompanies the students, were taken to Natividad Hospital, while the other two students were taken to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. All family members were notified.
The Alisal USD had district administrators on the scene as soon as we were notified of the accident. They then went to the hospital to be with the students and staff members and to help coordinate communication with all relevant stakeholders. Alisal USD Superintendent, Dr. Héctor Rico, was also able to spend time at the hospital and speak with our staff, the MCOE administrator, a parent of two of the students, and our van rider. Although, for privacy reasons, the hospital cannot share details of the status of the patients with District staff, based on conversations with the aforementioned persons, it appears that none of the students or Alisal USD staff sustained any major, life-threatening injury. We will have counselors and staff from our Family Resource Centers available to any students, staff, and/or family members who may need support at this time.
We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff members and our highly-professional staff will continue to ensure we provide our students and families with the best service possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with our students and staff members and their families as they recover. We look forward to their prompt recovery and return to school and work as soon as they are up for it.
