Multiple speakers in the public comment period on Dec. 16 raised urgent concerns for the Placentia‑Yorba Linda Unified School District board.

Jeremy Kelly, a teacher at Yerba Linda Middle School, told trustees the district had ended its partnership with the With Hope Amber Craig Memorial Foundation, a suicide‑prevention assembly program he said had reached hundreds of thousands of students and “saved lives.” Kelly urged the board to reconsider the district decision to end the partnership: "This literally saves lives," he said during public comment.

Missy Sampson, a 20‑year former district employee, delivered a remembrance of Tom Craig and said he had been placed on administrative leave in 2023 and “wrongly pushed out.” Sampson urged the board to restore an organizational culture that treats staff with integrity and recommended the district honor Craig’s legacy through brave leadership.

A senior at Esperanza High School, Bridal Abbas, said she learned only informally that she had been removed from second‑period AP literature because of staffing allocations and described missing communication and canceled meetings with school leaders. She asked the district to restore the AP class and to provide timely and transparent notice when schedule changes affect students’ academic plans.

Holly Peach, an ELD teacher at Esperanza, said coordinator periods were removed at multiple high schools and called that change inequitable: "Restoring and standardizing ELD coordinator period across all high schools is an issue of equity, access, and student success," she said. Trustees and superintendent Dr. Kim LeBlanc Esparza responded that staff would look into the coordinator‑period decisions and follow up.

Trustees acknowledged the comments and, in several instances, asked staff to investigate and report back. The board also adjourned in memory of Tom Craig, who trustees and speakers described as a long‑time crisis coordinator and source of comfort during student and family emergencies.

No formal votes were taken on the items raised by public commenters during the period; trustees requested follow‑up and additional information from staff.