Black parents demand more resources, representation at SFUSD

Two dozen parents of Black students at San Francisco public schools gathered for a town hall Wednesday evening and called for increased representation and better resources for Black students: More Black teachers, safer and more culturally relevant environments for Black students, and improved high school and college readiness.

Currently, only 24 percent of Black students meet standards at the end of kindergarten for literacy. This year, just 200 of the almost 4,000 children starting kindergarten this fall are Black. 

The district intends to set these 200 up for success, said SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne, who opened the discussion at the Civic Center Secondary School, just blocks from City Hall. But for the families in the audience, the lack of preparedness went well beyond kindergarten.

“I talked to my kid. Algebra, even geometry, was on the test for Lowell,” said one mother, referencing San Francisco’s only merit-based high school, which has faced accusations that its admissions criteria are racist. 

Her son is starting at Lowell in the fall, in the first class since the re-introduction of merit-based criteria. She feels that schools leave Black students unprepared for curricula like Lowell’s.

“How many of our kids are ready for that? They’re not getting literature in 8th grade. They’re certainly not getting algebra.”

Cultural relevance, tardiness, miscommunication

The evening was hosted by the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative, a body formed by the school district in 2013 that evaluates Black school life and works with the district to implement beneficial changes.

The Leadership Initiative’s director, Laticia Erving, who grew up going to SFUSD schools, opened the night with an icebreaker: “What do you love about Black children?” 

“Raising one!” responded a mother from a table in a corner. The room chuckled in agreement. “Energy,” said a father nearby. “Unapologetic,” “funny,” “resilient” — the list went on. 

As the meeting continued, parents made it clear that a lot needs to change for their children to succeed, and they want to see change now, while their kids are still in the district.

“A lot of the schools aren’t relevant to our kids,” said a mother. People around the room nodded and murmured agreement.

One parent said that current teachers need to be educated on race and cultural understanding. Too much damage is done, she said, when people misunderstand Black children.

“I hear you,” said Erving, nodding. 

When the subject of chronic absenteeism and tardiness among Black students arose, the audience’s response was mixed, some saying it was natural for Black students to arrive late if they did not feel welcome in the school in the first place

“Why would anyone want to go somewhere where they’re mistreated and not relevant? You want me to send my baby to a climate of hate — and on time?” she asked.

“There needs to be a person in each school specifically for Black parents,” added another parent, addressing what they called miscommunication between Black families and staff. 

Around the time the Leadership Initiative was founded in 2015, nearly half of all SFUSD suspensions were levied at Black students. The same kids were also several times more likely than others to be placed in special education.

Today, these students continue to be disproportionately suspended and placed in special education, with Black youth making up 212 of 541 total suspensions in the fall 2021 semester alone, five times more than all other races except Samoan, which is also disturbingly high. This is despite the fact that Black students comprise only 6 percent of SFUSD attendees.

Another major issue, noted a parent, is the severely limited Black enrollment in Chinese and Spanish language schools. She said this was due to low acceptance rates among Black applicants. 

But, a former teacher and mother of two students questioned, “Why are we pushing for our kids to go to immersion programs? Why aren’t we creating our own? What do our kids want?”

‘It’s about building relationships’

A parent whose kids attend Alice Fong Yu, a Chinese immersion school in the Sunset, recognized his children’s positive experience at the school. Part of their ability to thrive, he said, has been his presence and determination to be as engaged as possible as a parent. He recognized that others might not have that ability.

Wayne agreed, saying parental engagement makes a huge difference. A few weeks ago, he said, Wayne did a surprise visit at a middle school. 

When he strolled the halls, he saw that “80 percent of the kids who were out of the classroom, wandering the hallways, were Black — when 8 percent of them are at the school. What’s happening in the classroom that makes a kid that shows up to school not want to be in class?”

A father pointed out that Black students have the highest rates of absenteeism and tardiness in the district. This, said the father, is partly the responsibility of the parent. “If parents aren’t accountable, they don’t have to come at all. But they have to change. It’s a matter of if they really want to.”

But others think there’s much the schools can do. 

“It’s about building relationships,” said one parent. “That’s how you get someone to come to school on time.”

“Let’s not forget that, for 400 years, we’ve been treated like shit by this country,” responded a mom. 

Black Star Rising

One program shows promise at building such relationships, according to parents: Black Star Rising, designed specifically for Black SFUSD students to get culturally relevant learning outside the classroom. 

The spring semester program consisted of 22 kids: “All Black kids that found out that they were Black or knew that they were Black — but definitely knew, by the end of their time, that they were Black,” said Aaron Harris, the program manager for Black Star Rising.

“We make sure we are valuing our culture, and making school spaces safe for our students. We are inherently scientists, mathematicians and astronomers. A lot of this,” Harris gestured at the screen beside him, “wouldn’t exist without the work and the mind of Black individuals.”

Even as the meeting closed, the spirited energy in the room remained.

“Right now,” said SFUSD Board President Kevine Boggess, “we’re at a point where we can start bringing these changes to the school site. How do we have more of a customer service approach as a district so issues aren’t growing?” 

“It requires changing the culture of institutions,” he added. “If you don’t feel like things are getting better by the time you come back next year — let us know.”