Last Updated on May 17, 2024 by BVN
Overview: Community members and local organizations attended a Perris Union High School District board meeting to discuss the elimination of positions under the CARES teams and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department. The decision to eliminate these positions has been criticized by students, district staff, parents, and community members, with concerns about the impact on mental health and academic struggles. CART, NAACP and LULAC representatives argued that the decision undermines the district’s commitment to equality and marginalizes vulnerable groups. The board made no comments or decisions following the comments made by community members.
Breanna Reeves | Photos by Aryana Noroozi
Community members joined the Perris Union High School District board meeting on the evening of May 15 in anticipation of agenda item 14.11, “Request from a Member of the Public to Discuss Lay-Offs of District Personnel.”
The request was submitted to the Perris Union High School District Board of Trustees on April 8 in a letter signed by concerned community members and students, Center Against Racism & Trauma (CART), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Included in the letter was the formal request to put an item on the board agenda to discuss the eliminated positions and several reasons listed as to why the CARES team and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) director are essential personnel. The letter referenced the California Department of Education’s mandate to the district to improve school suspension rates, reports of derogatory language used against Black students and the presence of existing funding for CARES personnel.
“On March 5, 2024, however, all members of the CARES teams were laid off as well as the DEI Director. These are all of the primary interventionists,” the letter stated.
“This action displays a lack of regard for students and defiance of the California Department of Education directive to provide a continuous solution that corrects an inadequacy over the entire period of the state monitoring. Harm to students will increase without this program and its staff.”
Representatives of the NAACP and LULAC attended the board meeting, joined by CART Executive Director Janice Rooths and community members who wrote speeches to recite during the public comment portion of the board meeting.
Myles Ross, president of the NAACP Lake Elsinore/Southwest Riverside County (Branch 1034), stood outside the board room, as he waited for the agenda item to be called. Beside him stood Anthony Noreiga, California LULAC District 5 Director, who held copies of his speech.
“Today, I address you with a heavy heart, reflecting the deep concern echoing through our community and school district. The decision to defund the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department has left a lasting, troubling impact that cannot be ignored,” Noriega’s speech read.
“Groups with agendas like yours aim to dismantle programs promoting diversity, falsely claiming that discrimination is a relic of the past.”
In a district where Hispanic students account for 71% of the student population, they have the highest percentage of suspensions and expulsions. In 2022, the California Department of Education flagged the district for the disproportionate rate at which these students were expelled and the district took steps to develop alternative suspension programs among other intervention services.
“To just off-handedly get rid of the DEI director, to us, was just egregious,” said CART Executive Director Janice Rooths.
Students, district staff, parents and community members criticized the district’s actions following the vote on March 5 to eliminate roughly two dozen positions as part of the CARES teams and the DEI Department which consisted of the director and a secretary.
“Budget cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives undermine our commitment to equality and risk marginalizing vulnerable groups,” said Perris High School student Rocco Nelms, 15, during the public comment segment on Wednesday.
“On top of that, laying off Wellness Center CARE teams, threatening essential mental health support and increasing stress and academic struggles in students is just not okay.”
On March 5, Trustees Edward Garcia Jr., Steve Campos, Anthony T. Stafford, Sr. and David G. Nelissen voted to eliminate all positions under the CARES teams and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department which consisted of the director and a secretary.
Trustee Elizabeth Vallejo was the only no vote.
“The majority of the existing board, which is different from the board that established the program, has shown a disdain for DEI, which echoes a right-wing agenda that is sweeping the nation,” said Dr. Carolyn Murray, professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), while giving her public comment.
In 2022, Randall Freeman lost his board seat to Steve Campos and Dr. Jose Luis Araux lost his board seat to Edward Garcia Jr. The previous Board of Trustees approved the position for a DEI director on September 21, 2022, prior to the 2022 board election. Dr. McNair was hired in November 2022 and officially started her role in January 2023.
Part of Dr. McNair’s job as DEI director in ensuring implicit bias training was practiced in human resources hiring processes, developing Ethnic Studies curriculum and organizing parent committees.
Following the board’s decision to eliminate her post, Dr. McNair’s last day as DEI director is June 30, 2024.
“Board members, especially trustees of color, we want to know, given the fact that students are being called the N-word and other things, and other race and gender issues are occurring that make students feel unsafe — Why are you taking away a person who could effectively mitigate or help eliminate these issues?” Rooths asked during public comment.
According to Dr. McNair, part of the hope of adding the request to discuss the lay-offs to the agenda was to reinstate her, but following the comments made by community members, the board made no comments or decisions.
Nelms directly addressed Trustee Steve Campos during the board meeting, referencing Campos’s personal Twitter account and some of the posts shared.
“When I stumbled across your Twitter account, I’m sorry to say that all I could see was disrespect and I was appalled,” Nelms said. “No board member at a school district should be displaying hateful commentary, nonetheless on social media.”
Across the country, DEI departments have been cut and DEI-related roles have been eliminated in higher education institutions, with funding to these programs being allocated elsewhere. Recently, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees voted to redirect $2.3 million of DEI funding to public safety, according to WUNC North Carolina Public Radio.
In March, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) introduced the Embracing Anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curriculum and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act. This bill would prevent medical schools from receiving federal funding if they adopt policies and requirements related to DEI.
During her speech, Dr. Murray listed the following reasons as to why some people dislike DEI: perceived threat to the status quo; misunderstanding and misconception that DEI has preferential treatment to certain groups; fear of change; political and ideological opposition; and personal bias or prejudice.
“Each of the four board members who voted to eliminate DEI should ask themselves which of these five descriptions fit me and how does the profile align with the oath that they took to educate all children?” Dr. Murray asked.
Rooths, along with LULAC and the NAACP, said they will keep coming back to board meetings making the request for DEI. Prior to the board meeting, Rooths handed out maps that show which areas are covered by PUHSD trustees and which trustees are up for re-election this year.
“We need to rally the community and get them to understand that people are making decisions that are not in favor of students and their wellbeing,” Rooths said. “That’s the number one thing, finding better candidates.”
Anthony T. Stafford Sr., Trustee Area 2, and Elizabth Vallejo, Trustee Area 4, are both up for re-election this November.