Parents, teachers press Merced board on campus safety, broken restrooms and bullying as trustees weigh restorative‑justice and after‑school contracts

Parents and teachers used the public‑comment period at the Merced City School District board meeting to press trustees for more action on campus safety, facility maintenance and bullying.

Concerns ranged from a report that a main gate at Tania Middle School was left open during the school day, allowing students to exit unsupervised, to a John Mir parent who said recently purchased adult restrooms have been intermittently out of service and the campus lacks adequate working staff bathrooms (she cited Title 8 Section 3364 as a sanitary standard). Another caller said desks purchased for one campus were removed and reassigned to another, raising equity questions.

Several teachers and parents gave sustained testimony in support of the restorative‑justice provider Restorative Justice League (RJL). Teachers described restored classroom climate and improvements for students who previously struggled with behavior; students and parents described RJL as a trusted presence that helped students manage emotions and reconnect with school. Board members asked for measurable evidence of impact; the district presented usage numbers (approximately 5,100 students served and 2,500 circles during the year) and said RJL staff collaborate with counselors, BCBAs and site administrators. The board approved the RJL contract on a unanimous roll call.

School safety and discipline were recurring themes. Parents and an advocate asked the board for clearer processes for bullying investigations, better recordkeeping in the district Aries system, and improved communication to families requesting documentation. Board members and staff said the district is instituting a data integrity sweep of discipline records, rolling out anti‑bullying implementation materials and expanding incident response capacity, including Centegics alert systems for next year.

After‑school providers and vendors were also the subject of extended questioning. Trustees repeatedly asked vendors and district staff for: (1) cost‑per‑student calculations, (2) evidence of academic impact (growth on local diagnostics or state assessments), (3) vendor track records and financial audits, and (4) clearer coordination between providers and site staff to avoid duplication of supplies and to align programming with school priorities. Several providers were approved after trustees extracted commitments on reporting and coordination; the board asked the superintendent and procurement staff to present stronger outcome metrics and to convene partners to share lessons.

What the board did: trustees voted to approve several contracts after a line‑by‑line discussion of budgets and outcomes. The board approved Playhouse (after discussion), Create (after a request to clarify the line item called “marketing”), the district’s UDL professional‑learning contract (passed on a roll call 3–2), the HPAC small‑group program (approved 4–1), and the RJL restorative justice contract (unanimous). Trustees delayed approval of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program update until revisions could be made to job descriptions and measurable outcomes (the ELOP plan was not approved in that vote).

Why it matters: parents told trustees that unresolved bullying, porous campus security and nonfunctioning restrooms are limiting student safety and participation. Trustees signaled support for community partners but repeatedly asked for clearer evidence that partner investments (often large sums of ELOP or grant dollars) produce measurable academic or attendance gains. The board requested revised proposals that tie after‑school work to specific student outcomes and clearer cost‑per‑student accounting.

Next steps: trustees instructed staff to provide clearer job descriptions and budget detail for the ELOP update, tighten vendor reporting on attendance and academic diagnostics, and convene partners for shared measurement and coordination.