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Parents and educators press SFUSD board over Buena Vista/Horace Mann safety and special-education staffing
Summary
At the Sept. 28 San Francisco Board of Education meeting, parents, teachers and students urged immediate repairs at Buena Vista/Horace Mann and asked the district to address special-education placement and paraeducator vacancies. The CAC presented priorities and commissioners pressed staff on online program staffing and testing.
Public commenters filled much of the Sept. 28 San Francisco Unified School District board meeting with accounts of unsafe conditions and staffing shortfalls at Buena Vista/Horace Mann and other sites. Parents, teachers and students described recent incidents they say have left classrooms and common spaces unsafe and demanded faster facility repairs and clearer timelines for renovations.
"The gas leak has really worried me out because some students have asthma," said a student speaker, pressing the board to accelerate work at her school. Teachers and paraeducators told commissioners they are seeing students with IEPs placed in settings that lack appropriate supports and that more than 100 paraeducator positions remain open at many sites.
The Community Advisory Council (CAC) for Special Education presented the committee’s 2021–22 priorities, including expanded social-emotional and mental-health supports, stronger math and reading interventions, more inclusive enrollment and a push for staffing stability. CAC Chair Danielle Satinover highlighted ongoing parent and educator reports that special-education students are being excluded from some general-education activities and called for inclusive practices and bilingual outreach.
Several special-education teachers described daily safety and workload strains. "Students with IEPs are getting placed in learning settings that are not appropriate for them," said a Washington High special-education teacher who urged the district to fully staff positions at school sites. A Sutro Elementary special-education teacher said she left SDC teaching after physical assaults and repeated student safety incidents.
Board members asked staff for concrete data and next steps. Deputy Superintendent Eneka Ford Mortel and Chief Robertson (special education) said the district has built a framework to deliver FAPE in nontraditional or at-home settings under AB 130 and will roll out an alternative dispute resolution plan; Julia Martin (CAC liaison) and district teams will help families access it.
Commissioner Collins pressed staff for details about online programs and Williams Act compliance after parents reported students in the On-Demand Learning Program (ODLP) had no live teacher contact for weeks. Staff acknowledged ODLP remains partially unstaffed in TK–5 cohorts and said they were actively recruiting and deploying teachers to begin live interaction on a rolling basis.
The board did not take a new policy vote on facilities at the meeting but confirmed two CAC appointments and pledged continued oversight. Future board briefings were requested to supply school-by-school timelines for repairs, a clear staffing dashboard for OLP/ODLP cohorts, and a plan for ensuring services for students with IEPs.
The board meeting continued with additional agenda items including a fall safety update, a district data presentation and a charter-school merger hearing.
