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Parents urge Simi Valley Unified to expand immigrant-family supports and improve harassment response
Summary
Two public commenters asked the district to adopt more visible immigrant-family supports (resource hub, legal partnerships, multilingual outreach) and stronger policies and reporting for student harassment; Superintendent Dr. Youssef said staff would follow up and referenced enrollment and support efforts already underway.
Two members of the public used the board’s public-comment period to press the Simi Valley Unified School District for changes to student supports and safety policies.
Stephanie Cortez, identifying herself as a Simi Valley USD parent, urged the district to strengthen services for immigrant families. She recommended several steps: adopt a sanctuary-district resolution, create a centralized immigrant-family resource hub with legal-aid contacts and translated materials, expand multilingual outreach beyond Spanish, establish legal-aid partnerships and quarterly clinics, and implement rapid-response protocols and trauma-informed supports for families affected by immigration enforcement or hate incidents. Cortez cited examples from nearby districts and said the district currently lacks a centralized, visible framework for immigrant families.
Jamie Sanchez, identifying herself as a Navy veteran and parent, described harassment experienced by her son from a student at another school and said staff told her they could not act unless incidents occurred on campus; she said one staff member advised letting students fight to resolve it. Sanchez urged the district to implement prevention-focused policies, counseling services, safe reporting systems and training so teen victims can report intimate-partner or peer violence safely.
Superintendent Dr. Youssef thanked both speakers, said staff would follow up, and offered to have district staff contact them to discuss supports the district is already developing for students affected by bullying and immigration concerns. In his remarks the superintendent also reported early enrollment numbers for the year — 15,119 students districtwide and 622 transitional-kindergarten students in 33 TK classrooms — and invited further individual follow-up.
