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Community speakers urge SFUSD to place AROC MOU on agenda, citing Islamophobia and student needs
Summary
A broad set of parents, teachers, students and community organizations pressed the board to put the Arab Resource & Organizing Center MOU on the next agenda, saying delay harms Arab and Muslim students amid rising Islamophobia and that AROC provides language, immigration and counseling services.
A steady stream of public commenters called on the San Francisco Unified School District board to advance a memorandum of understanding with the Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) so the organization can provide Arabic-language programming and supports in district schools.
Speakers representing parents, teachers and community organizations said that AROC has provided legal, case-management and student-support services for decades and that stalling the MOU leaves Arab and Muslim students without critical language and cultural supports at a time of heightened anti-Muslim sentiment. "AROC has been serving the Arab and Muslim community in San Francisco for over 20 years," said an on-the-record commenter describing the organization’s immigration and deportation-defense work. Several speakers asked the board to place the MOU on the next agenda and vote by the next school year.
Teachers, parents and students offered testimony about classroom and schoolyard incidents and described how AROC’s programs helped students apply for college, navigate immigration and access culturally relevant curricula. "Students told us they don't see themselves in the school," said a teacher who described bringing students to an AROC panel. Students and youth leaders told the board that the absence of Arabic programming undermines equitable access for English learners whose first language is Arabic.
AROC representatives and supporters framed the stall as a matter of inclusion and safety. "The political climate right now is incredibly polarizing," said another speaker, who urged the board to consider how delays may amplify isolation and Islamophobia for students from Yemen, Syria and Palestine.
Board members did not vote on the MOU during this meeting. The public-comment block included requests that the board explain why AROC’s MOU has not moved forward while other MOUs were placed on agendas. Speakers asked for clarity about the district’s timeline and criteria for approving community partner MOUs and asked staff to return with an update.
What’s next: community groups and parents asked the board to add AROC’s MOU to the next meeting agenda for formal consideration; the board did not schedule or decide on the MOU at this meeting.
