School district to sell two former school sites 

Two Navajo-area school sites will be soon be sold to the highest bidder.

The San Diego Unified Board of Education voted 4-1 to proceed with the sale of the former sites of Benchley Elementary and Cleveland Elementary after receiving no offers from any government agency or nonprofit organization last year. District staff said the sale of both school properties could generate $5.8 million or more, not including the cost of the transactions.

The former Benchley Elementary site is at 7202 Princess View Drive in Allied Gardens. The 4.28-acre property is currently leased to Excelsior Academy, a charter school. The district has not used the site for classroom purposes since 1984. It was declared surplus in 1984. The minimum bid is $2 million.

The former Cleveland Elementary campus is at 6365 Lake Atlin Ave. in San Carlos. The 8.76-acre property is currently leased to Magnolia Science Academy, a charter school. The district has not used the site for classroom purposes since 1981. It was declared surplus in 1984. The minimum bid is $5.8 million.

Board Trustee Michael McQuary cast the sole vote against the proposed sales, saying that the district should not sell land to raise money, according to City News Service.

Once bids have been received, the board will have to vote again to approve the sale before it becomes final.

Scripps Hospitals put interim visitor restrictions in place to protect against flu

On Jan. 12, Scripps Hospitals implemented several visitor restrictions at their five hospital sites in San Diego County aimed to protect against the spread of H1N1 influenza. The interim restrictions — issued in response to rising flu rates — went into effect at Scripps Mercy San Diego, Scripps Mercy Chula Vista, Scripps Memorial La Jolla, Scripps Memorial Encinitas and Scripps Green in La Jolla.

The restrictions include the following:

• All visitors will be screened. Visitors displaying symptoms of flu-like illness will be asked to leave.
• Children age 14 and under will not be allowed in the hospital unless they are patients receiving treatment or have appointments. This includes lobbies, dining facilities and common areas.
• Patients will be limited to a maximum of four visitors per day.
• Exceptions may be allowed by infection control and department supervisors for special circumstances.

For more information, visit scripps.org.