exceptional. they've offered data and gotten us any information we wanted. it's been fantastic. so, i think we're trying to move mountains with a shovel. here is the problem in my mind. i think that there are best intentions all around. i completely agree with the concern that structured literacy should be the focus. i'm sat in i.e.p. meetings to completely agree with what meghan said, where, specialized academic instruction is being blended between l.l.i. leveled literacy and wilson reading. above and beyond what mowing an said, to fully implement the wilson readings system, a teacher, a coordinator should have a full year of training and then a year of certification on top of that as well. from my understanding, most of our implementers of the program have taken the three-day could

not thcourse,not the full-year . there's a lot more that we should be doing to fully implement. you can say that about every, single department within sfusd. but i really appreciate the concerted effort to do as much as we can with our resources. >> the piece that i would add, i've been in some discussions this week with curriculum and instruction and what i have appreciated going through this process, and watching this from the start, we did not have a dyslexia pilot and we were considering adding this curriculum in and how we were going to train all of our teachers to bring people up to speed is that even though we have this where 1700 teachers have to be reached and 75 schools and all the numbers you start to look at, there have

been course corrections along the way. we have seen our curriculum and instruction staff, our special education staff, out there in the field attending dyslexia training and seminars and trying to get information. just this last week, dr. stephens met with kristen kohler from decoding dyslexia. i think the district and those that are really working to inform our staff are really looking carefully and listening openly to comments and how they can make changes. what i have, and i'm just looking at notes i have from drg with miss kohler he felt like she appreciated the comprehensiveness that is happening right now with the dyslexia pilot in san francisco. and also, some of these newer district wired sets of

supplemental assessment have been put no place as well as some common mechanisms for tracking the impact of these interventions at our schools. there are new things being put into place. there are additional things being considered. the feedback of the coding at dyslexia is being considered and listened to, specifically for our tier 2 students and how we can implement structured literacy across the board for our students. absolutely something that we're looking at and we hope to have more information about. it's a work in progress. to me the bottom line is there are 800 kids that have been identified through this process in the last six months. in the 10 years i've been here, we haven't had 800 kids identified for anything. i don't want to throw out the project. we need to keep moving forward and get better. >> thank you, that's really helpful. i appreciate it. the other question, could we get some follow-up on the idea of

the caseload coordinator position and what the background is on that? >> i wanted to follow-up on that. every school has a different population demographic. depending on some schools, they're handling a larger load than other schools. there's different needs at different sites as well, depending on what the students need. do we have people looking at different loads at different sites or does everybody get a certain amount of support? like i said, some schools have higher percentages of students with disabilities or with more challenging needs to support and i wonder how we balance that in supporting staff. >> the staff has the caseloads and whatever that caseload is, they get the number of f.t.e. so that's how it is balanced.

it's to the number of students that are there at the school. the idea of the manager that we can get more information on and get that information back. what that could look like but also what the cost would be. >> and do we look at the type of disability and does that factor into how much support we provide a school in terms of, you know, their caseload and their -- >> president cook: yes. depending on the type of disability, that the person who are assigned to the school are people who are equipped to assist with that type of disability. it is depending -- some schools have a heavier number of students but then there's more adults at those schools. >> thank you. i guess the other question i

had, i really like thaw talked bin conclusive schools. i just want to say, i would love to get this from every -- this amount of information -- you are giving me stuff i haven't seen that i've wanted to see. which is the t.f.i. so thank you for sharing information about our district. one question i had is have you seen any of the results of -- you were saying you wanted included in the balance score cards, do you have data on individual schools or is that something you are looking to get? >> the t.f.i. implementation? >> yes, based on school. >> that's above our pay grade. and our pay grade is zero, just for the record. >> i didn't think anyone was below mine. >> ok. do you think that would be helpful for school communities to have that kind of information? i'm just curious? >> that's exactly why we're suggesting that it should be included in the balance score hard. i think having a higher level of transparency and accountability

would be helpful. >> the other question, i love how you talked bin conclusive schools and you did an assessment of schools. we saw that 25 schools participated in this survey. there may be more schools that are participating. i like to get a gage of how we're doing. i would love to see this for black history month and lunar new year and all the different types of activities in our schools. it creates an inclusive school. i know we're focused on supporting student behavior and students that need extra support. with pro social skills and stuff like that but it doesn't address the school climate and making sure our schools are welcoming for students who may need extra support and may have different learning styles. i'm wondering, are you familiar with any of those efforts as far as curriculum or support that are not addressing the students with dis a lots but addressing actual school climate for being inclusive of students with

disabilities? >> inclusive schools week, although it's based in special education, it's actually for all students who are marginalized. all students and community members. whether it's race, religion, disability, youth, everybody is included. and there is a ton of curriculum online that we make available to schools, social justice curriculum, again der diversity curriculum, there's a lot of great information out there and. >> that all comes from central office? >> specifically sfcsd has rolled out an anti bullying curriculum. not to throw mr. truitt under the bus but it's from the pacer

center. we also do second step throughout and it's a social-emotional learning throughout our elementary schools. the pacer program is new this year and that addresses specifically bullying and that is something where they are met with support of families and other community leaders. but again, implementation at this point is voluntary at the school site. unless we have something like to hold them accountable, the participation of lead and we'll get more of that. so, whatever we can do to help support the implementation we're happy to. it's critical to the well-being of our kids and if they're not feeling included they're not really. >> thank you for all the work you do.

>> it's super helpful and i appreciate all the hard work. as a follow-up, i would love to be able to learn a bit more around the allocation to support around the caseloads. i think it's just for my own learning and information. that will help us to see possible path forward around that additional support as being recommended over all. so thank you. >> can i speak to that, tallly. by state law, related service provider and r.s.p. can have a maximum of 28 students on their caseload. that can vary, the students could receive speech and languages servicers it could be student requiring multiple hours a day of specialized academic instruction. it varies from circumstance to circumstance. some schools will get neighbor one and a half r.s.p.s based on the caseload. some will -- if the school site

has the means, they'll pick up and fund the extra half site r.s.p. on their own. schools will fund on their own to better support their students. there is some inequity built into the model and being able to look at other ways besides just the 28 caseload, which is the state dealing would be really helpful. especially now that eraf gives us a few extra millions dollars in money. maybe we can get creative looking at that too. >> thank you, again. i'm happy you got this third meeting to share now. in regards to the case coordinator position and looking at the reasons for resignation, i'm just wondering how that would support in this? obviously not with the affordability but site leadership and school

disciplines like how would that position support those issues? if it would? >> i think that what we're looking at and hearing from the district, what we all hear from the special education teachers our students work with and our own children work with is the what are special education teachers is doing so much work late at night. i can't tell you how much. if i getty males from m get e-mt night or on the weekends. they don't have time during the day because they're in the classroom with the kids. just today, my middle schooler had to have someone intervene if his classroom because of discipline issues. what we look at with this case coordinator position, some of that extra administrative staff is taken off of their hands so the special education staff can be in the classroom helping with

students. when a student feels supported and engage and that people actually care about them, that student is getting the service and support they're supposed to be getting, the discipline issue should go away. not go away completely. but if your needs are being met you are less likely to cause trouble in the classroom. you feel included in the classroom. you feel like people don't believe you can make it and you have no clue what is being said, if it's loud and out of control, he hears 10 percent of what is going on. how long are you going to listen if you only hear 10%? you are going to tune out and cause trouble. so, having those teachers be able to be in the classroom and meet the students where they're at, will make a big difference. as far as turnover, if you are overwhelmed in your job, then all you are thinking about is how much you are getting paid. if you are not getting paid enough, that becomes really

clear. does that answer your question? >> to follow-up on that, i think if you've spent any time in space, our special education information system, the data base where i.e.p.s are housed, it's a very bureaucratic system. the process you have to follow to get everything into the data base, it support the students' i. e.p., the check boxes and checklists and if you god for bid miss a check mark you have big red angry e-mails in your inbox, that's completely demoralizing. but, the process, as mr. patterson alluded to, when he very eloquently spoke to when he gave his public comment, the process of scheduling a meeting, trying to get a supervisor, your principal, the gen-ed teacher, everyone to agree on a time for a meeting, that process -- for my kid that usually takes an

average of about 20 e-mails to get everyone to the point where we find a date that works for everyone. that is just my one out of 28 that my case manager has. so just the time of that and the scheduling -- if you are an r.s.p. for kindergarten through second grade, that's three different grade levels that you have to coordinate and co plan with. if you are at the high school level, it's four. there's a lot of extra work that our teachers already have to be doing from the special education standpoint. the bureaucracy of compliance just adds so much more work that goes unrecognized at this point. >> i kind of want to add to that. i have a daughter who is ready to leave the district at the end of the year. leave it as a transition student. she has one of the most wonderful teachers i've ever seen, who is constantly worrying about compliance and making sure

that my daughter's i.e.p.s in accordance and her services are provided in a courtance wit acc. she understands because she has a child with a i.e.p. an adult child that has gone through the system. not in our district but her own district. i am in constant contact with the teacher. the struggle she's going through. when a para is out and she needs to find a substitute and is unable to, and she feels that she is not in compliance with providing the services because the child who are is required a one to one, is not getting the support they need, this worries her. where as, i've had other teachers where they just go with the punches but they're not providing the services in accordance with the i.e.p. this teacher understands the needs of following that to the letter. seeing the stress she goes through. when she had two parents out, it put her over a barrel.

and then, also, as julia mentioned, we get the e-mails in the evening on the weekend. we know darn well they're still working. a lot of times she is still working from the school. she's not at home with her own family. my heart goes out to her. for someone like her, i put her up on a pedestal. she's worried about presenting and providing what is in accordance, not just with my daughter's i.e.p. but what she needs in order to be successful. the underlying point is the success of our children. and that is what the i.e.p. is supposed to outline. if there are constantly working above and beyond their regular hours, the stress will buildup and we may lose these wonderful teachers. i mean, i try to bribe her to make sure she doesn't leave. and i think all parents here, with excellent teachers do the same. i will bake you cookies. i will scrub your house and wash your car. whatever it takes to keep you here. if a position like that opens

up, it also, not just releases some of the stress they have, but i think it also shows them the appreciatation and dedication for their own work that they can put in. if that position is open up t. may require a couple people for it to be effective and efficient. i really hope with that funding that is maybe on the table, they can take it into consideration. >> thank you, all. [applause] >> i want to make another change, move up public comment. please note that public comment is an opportunity for the board to hear from the community on matters within the board's jurisdiction. we ask that you refrain from using employee and student names. if you have a complaint about a employee submit it to the employee supervisor and accordance with district policy. as a reminder, board policy rules in california law do not

allow us to respond to comments or attempt to answer questions during the public comment time. if appropriate, the superintendent will ask staff follow-up with speakers. i am going to start to announce names and when you hear your name, please make your way to the podium. you will have two minutes. we have close to 40 people here. if you can respect the people behind you and take your two minutes and try not to go over your two minutes so we can get through everybody's comments. i have first virginia marshall and lynn lane, lula jackson, motorcyclamichael francis, laur.

>> good evening. president cook, vice president sanchez, board commissioners -- >> i'm going to have her start your -- >> why want t i don't want to rt again. i'm going to continue where i stopped. susan solomon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, i'm virginia marshall with the educators. i'm here to invite each of you to the african american honor roll celebration held next thursday, february 21st at saint mary's cathedral with 1500 students of african american who have learned a g.p.a. of 3.5. you are my bell tonight.

[applause] they are selected by their principal and teachers. they earn their g.p.a. ending in fall of december of 2018. i'm also here to -- and there's donations, please, it's a very expensive proposition for us to do. we support our sponsors and including the district and comcast and uesf and others. if you want to give me a check, i'm glad to take your check. my other presentation is that all of us know that a couple of weeks ago, mrs. anna l. matthews was a long-time employee of the district, a fellow professional, worked for 29 years in many of our schools including glen park elementary. a work after she passed, i received an e-mail from an

anonymous donor who said what about this idea. i have an idea. let's start a scholarship and memory of the superintendent's mother. i said why not. give them a round of applause. i said to the donor, that our last scholarships of $1,000 each given to a senior at a banquet on may second. i'm happy to report. i must run it by the superintendent first. we have a little over $2200 collected thus far and i know there's more to come. we'll be honored to present this scholarship to a young person in this district who will go into education and one day sit where you are sitting. thank you. [applause] >> good evening. my name is anne. i am the director of arts at creative arts charter school. i've been an educator for the

past 22 years serving as a special educator and arts integration specialist. and i'm here tonight to speak to creative arts charter renewal. i will be reading a letter on behalf of dr. julia smash, who imarshall whois a professor at . dear commissioner cook, i am writing in support of creative arts charter school which suppose for its renewal of its charter. i am a professor of san francisco state university where i taught arts courses for over 30 years. over that time, i have followed the progress of cacs from a small, parent organized experimental school to a highly successful innovative leader and arts integration. over the past eight years, i have had the pleasure of working closely with anne and various teachers at this school. [ please stand by ]

i lost my daughter three years ago and i was looking for someone to help me and i live in the community so creative arts has been that place for me. i don't know if you know what it is to lose a child, but to have a child who is young and lose him, i was searching for someone to help me with this child. i went and met with creative arts and they had the things i want for my child. they have embraced by granddaughter. she went through some problems, they got her therapy at the school to assist with the problems of losing a parent. there was behavior that came about the faculty was able to help her overcome some of her grief not knowing where her mother was. so i'm here as a grandparent,

speaking on behalf of creative arts and asking you guys to continue the work they're doing with our children in community. thank you. [applause] >> my name is michael. i'm a parent of three kids, single dad. disabled and low income. native american descent, a minority. my 16-year-old daughter is now a 3.55 grade point level and wants to be a neurosurgeon. she started out in creative arts. she had a lot of problems. all three kids had a lot of problems. we went through a fire. creative arts was there for us when we went through that fire. and they organized clothes and prepared meals for us. and helped us through all that. my son, he had behavioral issues, his mother and i are

separated. drug issues and everything. he's received counseling and through creative arts, they hooked us up with other resources. my daughter, the 11-year-old, she's had a lot of issues, a iep that is helping her out a lot. she's been given therapy at creative arts and therapy outside and they coordinate with each other and helped her out a lot. i'm here in support of them because they were in support of me and my family. and i can't imagine getting help from a school in my day, in public school. i'm not knocking public school or nothing like that, but creative arts has done so much for me. and my family. and i just want to make sure that it continues to be there for them. you know.

i attribute all this getting over traumas in day-to-day life and educational hurdles, truly all the success is to creative arts. their staff come up with innovative methods to deal with my 11-year-old especially. and her teaching methods and everything and gotten her through. just want to thank them as a whole. and really want to make sure they're still there for us. i had a whole lot to say, two minutes ain't enough. >> hi, everyone. i'm the delighted mom of a beautiful 7-year-old girl. and i'm just to express my thanks to creative arts charter for all the support you've given kids exploring their gender identity. we've had a great experience

starting with the application which two years ago we were allowed to select a third option for gender. we didn't have to choose boy or girl. we've had parent education meeting to talk about gender identity led by a transeducator. we have a great school communication system where i've been able to publish letters and talk about gender identity and what i want them to know. if they're able to communicate back with me. i have a teacher who has never misused a pronoun for my child, which is beautiful. my child came out of the girl's bathroom with a friend and that friend was sweetly questioning why she was using the girl's bathroom and my child, because of her time at creative arts charter has been able to advocate for herself in bathroom choice. they jumped in not so much to support my kid, but the other

child who is learning about bathroom choice and how children identify in their hearts and not in their bodies and their gender. so i also want to give a shutout to sfusd and the guidelines for teachers for lgbtq and gender diversity and how wonderful that has been for all kids. i appreciate charter that has adopted those in full -- adapted those in full partnership with sfusd. thank you for advocating for all kids in san francisco. happy birthday, commissioner collins. >> cheryl lee. if you hear your name, please make your way to the podium. [reading of names] good evening,

i'm xo executive director of the united administrator of san francisco. i come before you tonight to speak on behalf of principals. one of their tasks is to facilitate school change, especially those with underachieving african-american and latino students. they bear a huge responsibility. they gladly accept that responsibility, but are often met with barriers within their school communities that hinder them from achieving that goal. often these barriers result in conflict within a school community. the most conflicts occur, it is imperative that a school community work together to resolve the issues.

in the past couple of years, there has been increased theme judged and vilified in the court of public opinion with all the facts werenpresented. as a school board, we hope that there is an objective investigation. we respectfully request that principals be afforded that opportunity to tell their story. most would welcome the opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with you and showcase what is working in their school. shadow a principal for a day or a week so you can see what they do every day. our members are hard-working, dedicated professionals committed to doing what is best for the school community. we invite you to visit our schools to see the innovative programs and practices principals are leading to address the needs of students and families. it's ironic i noticed on the

district web page last month, there was a picture of dr. martin luther king, jr. with a caption, building social justice and kindness. this is a tenet that should be exercised not only for students, but teachers and principals. in closing we ask you to view each situation with objectivity, open-mindedness, kindness and respect. thank you. >> hello. i'm a product of sfusd. i'm here with the support of a few students, a few parents, including my own parents. and i'm just here to get clarity as to why i was terminated from my position last school year.

i was never given a reason. i can only guess it has to do with some sort of breach of policy, so i want to understand that a little bit more. no one has spoken to me, although i've reached out quite a few times. i have dedicated my entire adult life to youth work. i've been doing this since i was a teenager. i volunteered over a thousand hours at my former elementary school. so this is in my heart, this is my passion, that is what i love to do. and for the past nine months i've been processing this and i'm tapped into the community and the efforts of the sfusd. i've had a chance to sit in the meetings of the alliance of black school educators. i've attended a couple of board meetings and i had the pleasure of attending yesterday's partnership network meeting

where i was introduced to an amazing initiative to support young african-american students. i just don't that i it's possible when there are cases where young black educators are being treated like garbage. i think president collins said it the best, we're here for kids, so we need to find equitable solutions to problems, problems that have to do with restorative justice to best support our community. i'm in the same body, looking for answers to questions.

my main question is, i don't know if it's part of your policy. i haven't read the whole thing, but when it is okay to receive information from an outside entity and dismiss two african-american males who have dedicated their adult life. i've also had -- dedicated my adult life to working with kids in the city and other cities. summer programs. i've been a tutor. i've been after-school program. i've worked with schools during the day. when is it okay to dismiss those two african-americans based on information you got from an outside entity without doing any research, without talking to anybody who was involved in the situation? and that's my question. thank you.

>> hi, my name is forest page. two years ago i was an 8th grader in middle school. these two were counselors for me since 2013 when i was in 4th grade. they were probably the most favorite counselors in the whole school. they were the counselors that every kid wanted to play basketball with and get help with homework from. they have been great mentors at my middle school and they've very important to many kids in middle school for support and to keep kids out of trouble. they dedicated many of their own hours to run sports programs

with us on just -- yeah, just run sports programs. they always wanted the best for every kid, and i'm sure they wanted the best for every kid at the other schools they worked for after they were let go. so i would like to know why you let them go without any explanation? thank you. >> hi. i'm ryan, sophomore lowell high school. i've known both men since i was in 3rd grade and i cannot express how much love and respect i have for them as human beings. i can only name a handful of people who have been greater or more influential in my life, what it meant to be tough,

teaching me lay-ups in basketball, i cannot express how much these two changed my life. they've only wanted the best for kids, helping them to develop to be the best kids they can. they're always going the extra mile to help as many as they can, because that's the people they are deep down. oooh. laugh. i speak for the hundreds of kids they've mentored, talked, helped bring up, laugh with. they're great people and deserve to know why they were let go. and, yeah, so i was wondering how can you let people go who have done so much for the community and meant so much to the kids? if you would just give them clarity, that would be great. thank you.

>> hi, my name is dawn. i'm a parent of a student at clare lowen at all. i'm here to speak on behalf of these two men who have been the best thing about school for my son. they helped him through hard times. extremely professional. just amazing human beings, so i hope they get clarification on why they were terminated. none of us understood why that happened. we'd like to know. i know one has gone on to be a family advocate and i can just imagine he'd be the best that

sfusd has had. >> president cook: [reading of names. >> i've been counselled by ter quinn and sampson since 6th grade. i went to claire lilienthal. they were probably the biggest mentors in my life. they were huge support to many

students at claire lilienthal, no matter gender or race. they created free sports programs such as flag football, soccer and basketball programs. they scheduled and coordinated a 13-game basketball season providing uniforms and practice four days a week. that program was also free of cost. we went undefeated for the season. how can you -- how can one fire such a pivotal counselor with no justification? doesn't make sense.

we have to look at the young men and women they've helped. these two have gone out of pocket, shown up to sporting events for kids, visited families. for them to be let go, it doesn't make sense. i don't get why we have to come here just to figure out why we can't get an explanation. they were let go a year ago and yet we're here, we don't have an answer for that. as an african-american who just started working for the district, it's not good to see this. we have to have parents write e-mails. i hope you guys do better going forward with this. thank you. >> hello. my name is marcus.

and i've known tarquin and sampson since 5th grade. and i come from like the best neighborhood in the bayview. and i used to go to a lot of sporting events with tarquin and he used to help me get home after school. because i used to help him. he used to help me stay off the streets. and help me with my homework a lot, help me to pass so i can run track in the 8th grade. it's been a positive role model. when i think of tarquin and sampson, i think of positive things. when he told me that he got fired from his job, i was shocked because i never thought that would ever happen. i recently went to a military camp last year in july.

and tarquin was my mentor all five months until december. and he helped me a lot when i was down and he gave me a lot of coping skills on how i can be a better person in society. >> good evening. i'm a parent of marcus. i have known tarquin since my son was in the 5th grade. he's been a great mentor. he's a great asset to our community, especially being of color, kids need that support. i don't understand why he was let go of his job with no explanation. that is discrimination. he has just been great all the way around. he used to go to all the meetings i had with my child,

when my child was having issues. very supportive. carries himself respectfully and very professional. just -- just a great guy that everybody looks up to, all the children. i don't understand why he was let go. he was there for my child through everything that he's been through and now he's in the 11th grade and i don't understand why he was let go. i mean, like i cried when i found this out. it was just -- i couldn't stop thinking about it. why -- i don't understand why he was let go. no explanation. i want him to get his job back. he's a great, great leader in our community and we need more leader like him. thank you very much. >> hi, i'm a parent from claire

lilienthal. i'm here to support tarquin and sampson. i think the whole community was surprised when they were departing before the end of last semester. right as they had started a basketball team for the middle schoolers and they were disappointed when the team ended after a week. tarquin is the only reason i let my son go on an outdoor ed trip. i didn't trust any of the teachers, but when i heard that tarquin was going, i felt safe with my son going. tarquin and sampson have attended family functions, where they helped out with the kids, 8th grade graduation party. that was on their own. they weren't paid. none of the other teachers that were invited showed up.

they came to funerals for the kids in our class whose parents died. they're great people and i can't understand why they would be let go. it would be nice to know why. thank you. >> hi. my name is dennis page. i have two children that went through tarquin and sampson's tutelage. lucky enough to work with him. what a lot of people here are talking about, it's obvious, they're great people, trustworthy, but more so, i think specifically for my boys, they prepared them for being outside in a sense. taking them on the bus. some of those soft skills you don't learn in school. eyes on the back of your head. what to really look out for. i think ryan pointed out what it means to be a little tough.

you're not learning that in school. but you need that here. i trusted him with my boys. other teachers, i'm not so sure. inside the classroom, yes, but outside the school, no. as you look at the kids that are underprivileged in our school district, tarquin and sampson were able to represent them. another point not made, they were able to bridge that divide. so you have a diverse mix in our public school system, privileged, unprivileged. when you have some teachers like this that can bridge that divide so that each side can see where they're coming from, that is gold. you can't get there. you don't get that by teaching, you get that from experience. it's a great loss they're not there anymore. it just kind of aches my heart to hear they're not there. i hope we get clarity, resolution. and hopefully change. and that they're back in the

school district. thank you. >> president cook: [reading of names] this is my first school board meeting which means this topic is important to me. i met tarquin and sampson at claire lilienthal. tarquin and sampson were always kind and considerate to my oldest son who was shy. but they encouraged him to keep active and was a positive force in his life.

they were my younger son's coaches. tarquin is an excellent old-school coach, meaning, have respect, represent yourself, work hard. my younger son is a student and is confused why tarquin and sampson are no longer there. i am confused, too. they're remarkable coaches. i wish sfusd had 100 tarquins and sampson. they should be hired back and commended and at the least a proper explanation to their dismissal should be given to them and the community they supported. our after-school programs and youth athletics are so important to working parents and the students. when we have proactive supportive youth counselors, we should hold onto them, support them, thank them, and not let them go for bureaucratic regions

that do not fit in with the busy times we live in now. to speak to their character, young youth counselors, well they bought me flowers and a card for mother's day. to thank me for having such a nice child. this is who these young men are. their parents raised them right. >> the head of h.r. will, if you walk outside, they'll meet you outside to speak to you privately. as soon as you can, go outside and he'll meet you out there. >> continue with public comment. julia martin. linda parker pinnington. dr. norris.

alex jones. greg pinnington. pamela tate roger. ms. robinson. >> good evening. so my name is linda parker and my son is a junior at the school of arts. and my job is to provide a little context for the people that are going to be speaking after me. and for the situation that we're in at soda right now. which we think is not -- although we're here in response to a specific incident, we don't feel it's an isolated incident.

we feel it's a reflection of what is systemic conditions of racism in sfusd and it's interesting we're here tonight, based on everything that has come before us, which i think it's all interconnected. and you have a copy of the letter in front of you that we sent to dr. matthews yesterday morning. and so we're going to walk you through that in terms of context and what our requests are and personal testimonials of the conditions there. three weeks ago the head of soda's vocal department following a 4-month investigation by the school district which found she had violated the nondiscrimination policy had her employment contract terminated. this decision resulted in the immediate dismissal from her role and triggered verbal and written retaliation by soda vocal students against two

african-american students, who were believed to have bought the complaint and testified in the investigation. one african-american student was aggressively confronted by a white student in the hallway. this same student was accused of having gotten the teacher fired for no reason. the teacher waged a campaign saying she had been wrongfully terminated and seeking letters of support. so these are the following things that happened. i'm going to leave it there. >> good evening. i'm a parent of a senior at societia. and also an alumna who graduated two years ago.

my daughter is an activist, has a full ride scholarship to boston university. she was one of the students who helped to organize the board of ed event that several of you candidates were there. she helped to organize that. she is an advocate for equity in the district. and it is very important to her and because of that, she has made it public and so she became a target of racist attacks by not just students, but also parents who claim she was lying when she claimed discrimination. and that is untenable. she has made equity, it's very important to her. it's very important to us. it's very important to our family and to our community. and she believes in it.

and so one of the reasons why i'm here is because i want her to walk away from the school district understanding that the goals, equity goals of the school district are real. and that means that the work needs to be done from the central office in support of students that have been victims of discrimination and families that have been traumatized as a result of hostile racism in our district and in our community. thank you. >> hi. my name is alex jones. i'm alumni of sfusd. i graduated from the school of art. i came back and is now the coordinator of outreach. i do a number of things, one of them is working on equipment for the school of the arts. so i just wanted to bring up the conversation with a staff member

this morning when i got to campus. we were talking about some of the results about the auditions this year, which i can't disclose the specific numbers, but it was discussed the fact that we have put in a lot of time and energy and resources into trying to change our demographic structure at the sota, yet we're still finding in many cases, that groups of color are not showing up to auditions when they have applied. and despite our efforts to shift this, it persists. so what came out of the conversation was a little, you know, bit of wisdom, which is that any system that is attempting -- that has racial equity issues and disparities that puts resources into those

issues and sees no significant result is inherently racist. that being said, i think that it's important -- you're going to hear a lot about how to change this particular issue in this isolated event, that is not really isolated. but i would encourage you to consider the implication of racism on creativity in the school, and the district as a whole, it's important to throw as many resources into this as possible. both because it's right and also because it's smart. >> my name is greg. i'm a parent student at ruth sota. we're recommending that they pay for the additional resources to support the students and

families at ruth in dealing with this turbulent, emotional situation caused by the termination of this teacher. it's not fair for a school to use its limited sources. handling something like this, which nobody in our country can handle, let alone on a micro level like this, to pay for the services needed to address this, for african-american students and other colors, we'd like to get help. we're requesting professionally facilitated meeting that includes superintendent matthews and the staff of office of inclusion and equity with the members of the student body and their families to discuss the ongoing racism that