On Wednesday, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, issued an extremely important statement from the Department of Education.  

The Superintendent cited the November 8th election and stated the following, “Unfortunately, since the presidential election, reports of bullying, harassment, and intimidation of K-12 students based on immigration status, religious, or ethnic identification are on the rise.”

We have all been hearing about the increased acts of bullying being levied against Latino students, Muslim students and LGBTQ students among others. Reports of increased incidents starting coming in immediately after the election. CBS news and other outlets ran story after story about the matter just two days after the election. In fact, it became so widespread, so fast that it has been dubbed the “Trump effect” by the media.  

Several districts have adopted policies and resolution independently to address the concerns, mainly of Latino and Muslim children who fear harassment, however, the California Department of Education now makes it clear that the State of California’s public schools stand with students and parents and will be a safe haven for all.

In part, the Superintendent stated the following: “Parents should know they are welcome on our school campuses regardless of their immigration status. We encourage all parents and guardians to participate in their school communities and in the education of their children. Engaged parents play a key role in helping our students succeed. That is one reason encouraging parent engagement is a top priority for California schools and one of the key local indicators of success for our schools and districts.”

We applaud the Superintendent of Public Instruction for taking the bold position that the state of California values all of its students and their families and will continue to protect our most vulnerable Californians.

For school districts around California, this is the resolution template that was provided to be shared and used across the state. Make sure your district passes one of these resolutions to become a safe haven soon!

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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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