Students and parents urge SF Board to protect newcomer programs and adopt a school safety plan

Dozens of students, parents and teachers told the San Francisco Board of Education that immigrant families and newcomer programs need clearer protection and sustained funding.

"My name is Amberly, and I'm a 5th grader at Flynn Elementary," said Amberly Garibay, describing how dyscalculia and specialized supports in her IEP help her in math. Several students from Galileo High and San Francisco International High said fears about immigration enforcement undermine students’ mental health and ability to learn and asked Superintendent Maria Hsu and the board to meet with youth, parents and community groups to develop a school safety plan and adopt it into board policy.

Speakers cited enrollment and outreach failures they say have hidden newcomer programs from families and noted that preliminary budget documents showed zero teachers budgeted for longstanding newcomer classes. "NEC has served Spanish-speaking families for over 50 years and yet staff and families only learned the program was being cut when the preliminary budget arrived with 0 teachers budgeted," said an SFUSD parent (paraphrased).

Teachers and program staff told the board that newcomer programs are highly specialized and often funded by voter-approved grants; cutting them would both harm vulnerable students and undermine the stated priorities in the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan. Speakers also warned of proposed reductions in middle-school health education and the loss of bilingual staff at some sites.

President Kim and staff reminded the public that board rules do not allow responses during the public-comment period but said the superintendent may ask staff to follow up when appropriate. The board did not take formal action during the public-comment period; instead presenters and commissioners later addressed related items during staff workshop sessions on student outcomes.

The board received a stack of postcards and petitions; community organizers said they will continue to press for meetings with the superintendent and for the district to adopt explicit protections for immigrant students and sustain funding for newcomer programs.