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Students and Families Urge SFUSD to Keep Flex Academy at Independence — Cite Specialized Need
Summary
Students, parents and staff from San Francisco Flex Academy asked the district to reconsider a facility decision and grant Prop 39 space at Independence High School for 2016–17. Speakers described Flex as an educational recovery environment for students with special needs and urged the board not to displace the program.
Students, parents and staff from San Francisco Flex Academy (Lehi) appealed to the board for facility stability and asked the district to reconsider a recent Prop 39 denial that could displace the small alternative high school.
Multiple eleventh-grade students described Flex as the only setting where they regained academic focus and mental health stability after struggling in larger traditional high schools. One student, Kamal Montague, described arriving at Flex after suicidal ideation and credited the school’s smaller setting and staff attention with his recovery and improved grades.
Parents and guardians said Flex provides tailored supports for students with learning differences and urged the board to approve space at Independence High School for the 2016–17 year. Supporters raised Prop 39 (the state facility-access law) and said they met interest thresholds for a Prop 39 request but still lacked an assignment. Several speakers asked staff to reconsider space options and to avoid further displacement after multiple previous moves.
District representatives did not announce a decision at the meeting; several parents asked for reconsideration and urged the board to factor the program’s unique student population into facility determinations.
What’s next: Staff will consider the testimony; parents asked for the board to revisit the Prop 39 facility decision for Lehi/Flex.
Quote: "This is the only place I really think I can go to thrive," said one student who described improved grades and mental health at Flex.
