Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
River City High teacher announces resignation as students, parents urge board to act on vaping, bathrooms and safety
Summary
At a Washington Unified School District board meeting, River City High teacher James Colligan announced he is leaving, and multiple students, parents and teachers urged the board to address vaping, locked bathrooms, inconsistent discipline and safety concerns at River City High School.
James Colligan, a River City High School math teacher with 14 years at the school, told the Washington Unified School District Board of Education that he is resigning, citing untenable conditions at the campus and urging trustees to visit unannounced and see what students and teachers face daily. Colligan told the board he helped start AP Statistics, led safety efforts during COVID-19 and mentored many students, and that the decision to leave was driven by what he described as deteriorating conditions for staff and students.
Parents and students followed with public comments that largely echoed Colligan’s concerns. Maria Garcia, speaking in Spanish with a translation provided at the meeting, said River City has 2,209 students and that staffing and behavioral supports are insufficient; she noted district data showing 66.9% of students are economically disadvantaged. Parent Jen Stone Iisberg and students Elijah Stone and Joshua Stone described repeated bathroom closures, pervasive vaping, fights, fireworks set off on campus and inconsistent or inadequate discipline. Student speakers said bathroom closures were creating basic safety and equity problems and that students who follow rules were suffering while others engaged in dangerous behavior faced limited consequences.
Student board member Mariana Gutierrez opened public reports with school highlights but was joined later by several River City students and alumni who urged action. Bahareh Yacoubi, a River City senior and UC Davis student researcher, requested a future agenda item so student research on college access for English learners could be presented to the board.
Board members acknowledged the public comments and said they were listening but noted legal limits on immediate responses during public comment periods. Trustees and district staff later said the district would take steps to review safety and discipline concerns raised by speakers, and the district’s superintendent emphasized the district’s commitment to both physical and emotional safety for students.
Ending: Board members said they would consider follow-up steps, including school visits, data reviews and possible policy or operational changes. Trustees and staff asked for additional site-level analysis and promised to return with more information; no formal board action on discipline or River City-specific interventions was taken during the meeting.
