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Students and Indian Education program urge SFUSD to complete resolution items and remove George Washington murals
Summary
The Indian Education Program and student speakers presented a progress report on a 19‑point resolution to support American Indian and Alaska Native students; community members urged the board to prioritize removal of racist imagery at George Washington High School and broader curricular and visibility actions.
Indian Education program staff and students briefed the San Francisco Board of Education on Dec. 13 about cultural programming, a piloted fourth‑grade curriculum on Ohlone peoples, and steps taken under a 19‑item resolution adopted earlier in the year.
Adri Almaguer, program manager, and student interns described workshops, an internship program and outreach to schools. “Our beautiful program was established in 1971 ... we offer academic supports and advocacy, tutoring, cultural workshops such as beading and drum making, as well as our high school internship program,” she said.
Student speakers urged more visibility for Native American Heritage Month and said the district should display an elementary‑age land acknowledgement across sites. Samantha Duarte, an intern and senior, said the students wrote an elementary land acknowledgement and asked the board to display it at all schools before she graduates.
Public commenters and community leaders pressed the board to finish unresolved resolution items, prioritizing the removal of racist imagery including the George Washington mural at George Washington High School. Speakers described the murals as demeaning and called for consultation and a superintendent meeting to carry forward the resolution’s 19 points. One commenter cited recently enacted state law (Assembly Bill 1703) as a new opportunity for district task‑force coordination on Indian education materials.
Commissioners thanked students for their presentations, discussed data challenges in counting Native students and reaffirmed intent to follow up on resolution tasks and curriculum rollout timelines. The board agreed to set meetings with the superintendent and staff to chart steps for implementation and to report back at a future meeting.
