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Parents and staff urge SFUSD not to colocate a new school at Malcolm X Academy
Summary
Teachers, parents and community advocates told the board that a proposed colocation would remove 11 classrooms used for special education, wellness and Beacon after-school programs at Malcolm X Academy, disrupting services for trauma-impacted students and undermining recent academic gains.
Dozens of Malcolm X Academy teachers, parents and community advocates urged the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education on April 10 to halt plans to colocate a new school at the Malcolm X site, arguing the move would strip essential classrooms and services from an already trauma-impacted school.
Elena Rosen, Malcolm X principal, said the school has used the space strategically to support students with IEPs, tier-3 interventions and STEM and outdoor education programs. "I really want to encourage you to really think meaningfully about this decision," she said, warning that taking 11 classrooms would be a "complete and total disruption" to programs that have driven the school's recent academic acceleration.
Multiple staff and parents described the co-location as a threat to the wellness center, speech and occupational therapy access and after-school Beacon programming. A special-education teacher said the school's inclusion model and services for students with disabilities would be jeopardized without the current rooms used for resource and intervention supports. Speakers also noted Malcolm X had been selected as a Beacon Fund site, with new after-school investments that would conflict with losing space.
Community groups including Coleman Advocates and Parents Making a Change accompanied children and family speakers who urged the board to "find another space for the new school" rather than disrupt Malcolm X. The staff and parent speakers repeatedly requested clearer district outreach and partnership in the planning process.
Board members acknowledged the testimony and said they would take the concerns into account as the district moves forward, but no formal action on colocation was recorded during the meeting.
The community requested that the district identify alternative sites and provide additional analysis of impacts on students with disabilities before any colocation is finalized.
