Parent, teacher raise pickup-policy and classroom safety concerns during public comment

Two speakers used the Mount Diablo Unified board’s public comment period on Aug. 13, 2025, to raise concerns about after‑school pickup policies and classroom safety.

Parent concerns at Cambridge Elementary Jenny Rose Jimenez, identified as a parent of a second grader at Cambridge Elementary, told the board she is ‘‘concerned because our students are are not allowed to leave’’ the after‑school program sponsored this year by the Boys & Girls Club. She said parents are not permitted to pick up children before 5:30 p.m., producing long pickup lines and unsafe waits in hot weather. Jimenez said families can be removed from the program after three early‑pickup attempts in a month and described the policy as disparate when compared with other schools where parents may pick children up at other times.

"If you can't pick them up until 05:30 ... it ends up being 05:40. We've gotta go home and do homework," Jimenez said. "We truly feel like our kids are being held hostage."

The board president acknowledged the comment and indicated staff would follow up. The board clarified during public comment that trustees normally do not engage in back‑and‑forth questioning with speakers because of Brown Act rules; trustees may ask brief clarifying questions but generally refer issues to the superintendent and staff for follow up.

Teacher concern at Pleasant Hill Middle School John Harrington, a music teacher at Pleasant Hill Middle School, described a grievance he filed in January 2025 regarding a rodent infestation in his classroom. He said planned remediation did not occur during the summer and that, shortly before the school year started, the district refinished the floors and sealed them with polyurethane; Harrington said the "off gassing was extreme" and that the room was unsafe to occupy. He said central facilities staff told him it was safe to return several times, but he observed conditions suggesting the contrary and that the room’s work remained incomplete.

"The off gassing was extreme. Can't go in there. It's not safe," Harrington said. He urged better communication and adherence to the district’s grievance procedures so staff, teachers and students are kept safe and informed.

Union comment on site conditions Linda Ortega, president of the Mount Diablo Education Association (MEDEA), echoed concerns about incomplete site work at remodeled campuses and missing ceiling tiles and said teachers had reported loud classrooms and missing HVAC relief at some sites. Ortega asked that remaining tasks be prioritized and that new hires be welcomed and resourced at their school sites.

Ending Board members thanked speakers and said staff would follow up; trustees reiterated that detailed responses to grievances or site‑specific requests are handled by administration and staff rather than during the public comment period.