April 29, 2026
Re: Board of Education Meeting 4/28/26
Dear Board Members,
Coleman Advocates attended the San Francisco Board of Education meeting on April 28, 2026, where the Board agendized and voted on the perpetuity of the Ethnic Studies curriculum for San Francisco schools. Coleman has long championed the implementation of this curriculum in the District, helping to set the pace for what has become a national model.
While we recognize that the Board approved the continuation of this curriculum in a full-year setting, we must be clear: what unfolded during this meeting was unacceptable.
We witnessed racist and politically driven behavior on full display—behavior that was directed toward the young people in the room. Specifically videoing and taking pictures of them while seated without consent, calling the youth; “terroriots”, “bombers”, telling them they are not “real immigrants” and laughing at them when they were speaking.
A youth, understandably distressed by the hostility and harm occurring in the gallery, cried out for help. She turned to the very adults entrusted with a fiduciary duty to protect students. Instead of immediate care and protection, we saw security initially attempt to remove students without first understanding that harm was being inflicted upon them.
We observed a continuum of harassment, including harmful and racist slurs directed at youth. While members of the community stepped in to support and protect the young people, the response from those in authority was delayed and insufficient. The tolerance of such behavior—even momentarily—signals a dangerous acceptance that we refuse to ignore.
Coleman Advocates remains steadfast in identifying and dismantling the systems in which racism continues to be embedded—including within our education system.
We demand that the Board of Education issue a clear and public statement affirming that the District is a safe place for ALL students, and explicitly acknowledging that the actions of the adults involved were unacceptable and will never be tolerated.
We demand that the District establish and enforce strict protocols for public conduct, ensuring that no individual is ever allowed to incite, antagonize, or harm youth within these spaces.
We demand that the safety of young people is treated as non-negotiable—upheld immediately, without hesitation, and without exception. No student should ever have to wait for protection, question their safety, or endure harm in a space meant to serve and support them.
We stand firm in our commitment to families and youth. We will go to every length to ensure that no young person is silenced, harmed, harassed, or made to feel inferior. We will not pivot. We will not waver. We will continue to rise above and challenge oppressive practices, individuals, and ideologies.
We demand that the San Francisco Board of Education take immediate and meaningful action to ensure that students are:
- Protected, not persecuted
- Valued, not oppressed
- Heard, not silenced
- Supported, not demoralized
Our youth deserve nothing less.
-Rachel Jones
Youth Justice Director
–Brandie Bowen
Policy Director
-Mirna Vasquez
Program Director
Coleman Advocates
