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Board affirms Parent Advisory Council slate after heated public comment on online harassment
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Education approved a slate of Parent Advisory Council candidates after extensive public comment about online harassment of nominees, including targeted social-media attacks against a nonbinary parent. President Lopez condemned the bullying ahead of a unanimous 7-0 vote to appoint the slate.
The San Francisco Board of Education on June 22 voted 7-0 to approve the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) candidates recommended by the PAC after an hour-plus of public comment that focused on online harassment of nominees.
President Lopez opened the discussion by warning about targeted online attacks and said the board would not tolerate harassment. "I will not allow this level of bullying and harassment to continue that targets the parents who dedicate much of their time and work to helping our students," Lopez said during remarks responding to public concerns.
Michelle Jacques Menegas, PAC coordinator, presented the recommended slate — Amy Lee, Mari Villaluna, Fira McCandless, Michelle Chan, Selena Chu, with Iris Ma as an alternate — and described the PAC selection process and outreach efforts. Naomi Laguana, PAC chair, announced her resignation and thanked colleagues for their partnership.
Public commenters were split: many parents, advocates and community leaders testified in support of Mari Villaluna, citing advocacy work and the value of representation for LGBTQ+ and indigenous families; other callers urged the board to reconsider the slate, complaining about perceived cronyism and lack of diverse father representation on the PAC. Board members discussed recruitment efforts, demographic goals for future PAC slots and the difficulty of retaining volunteers during the pandemic.
After discussion, the board took a roll-call vote and approved the slate of appointments (7 ayes). The board directed staff and PAC leaders to continue outreach to underrepresented communities and to monitor concerns about online harassment as PAC recruitment continues.
The board plans additional outreach and has left six regular PAC seats and two alternates open for continued recruitment.
