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Wilcox robotics team locked out of lab; students, alumni ask district to restore access or provide coach
Summary
Students, alumni and parents told trustees that the Wilcox High School competitive robotics team lost access to its robotics room after a retirement and administrative change, preventing the team from starting its season and outreach work.
Students, alumni and parents of Wilcox High School’s robotics team urged the Santa Clara Unified Board of Trustees on Sept. 11 to restore access to the team’s robotics room and provide support to secure a coach or advisor after the previous teacher sponsor retired.
The problem, students said, began when room locks were changed and district guidance required that a teacher sponsor be present whenever students used the space. "Last week, after an administrative misunderstanding involving our room access, the locks of the robotics room were changed, and our team lost access to our workspace right as our season and all of our outreach began," said Vedant Garg, a Wilcox senior and team member.
Why it matters: Wilcox robotics is a longstanding competitive program that students and alumni described as a major STEM pipeline. Students said the team uses the dedicated robotics lab for 3-D printing, machining, outreach projects and building the competitive robot. Alumni credited the program with helping members get into engineering programs and technology careers.
What speakers said: Kosei Tsukamoto, a senior and software-team member, described how robotics “bridges classroom theory and real-world problem solving.” Alexander Cameron, a Wilcox alum now studying mechanical engineering at UC Riverside, told trustees the team’s workspace and tools were critical to students who do not have access to workshops at home. Parent Manish Garg and alumnus Benjamin Feirstein asked the board to create a paid coach position or allow district volunteers to continue supporting the program. Volunteer coach and long-time sponsor Suds Jain said the team had been locked out for weeks, preventing work on the season’s robot and outreach events.
Board response and actions requested: Trustees said they recognized the urgency and asked the superintendent to seek an immediate solution. Trustee Muirhead said the district has "few globally ranked programs" and urged the administration to act quickly so the students can access the room and begin the season.
District constraints and options discussed: Parents said the district had applied the same rules used for small lunchtime clubs rather than for a competitive team that meets daily after school, and that expecting a teacher to stay five days a week is unrealistic. Speakers asked the district to either allow vetted volunteers to continue supporting the team, or create an official paid coaching position.
Next steps: Trustees requested more information from staff. The board did not vote on a specific remedy during the Sept. 11 meeting; multiple trustees urged staff to resolve the access and advisor issues as soon as possible.
Ending: Students said the team is ready to resume outreach and competition once access and advising are resolved.
