Community advocates say investigation found complaints not valid; appeal filed over Riverbank Elementary incident

Two community members used the public-comment period July 23 to raise concerns about racial and language discrimination in district schools and to cite a recent investigation.

Maria Grijalva, representing the Latino Information and Resource Center, said the Ellis investigation concluded that the organization's complaints were "not valid" and that her group has filed an appeal and is awaiting the district's response. Grijalva described an episode in which police were called on a PTA parent who briefly touched campus during a closure and said a Spanish-only speaker was denied a reasonable accommodation and a translator. "The investigation found that our complaints were not valid and we have filed an appeal and we are waiting for the district to respond to that," Grijalva said.

Sylvia Jimenez also spoke in support of a Yolo County Board of Supervisors resolution recognizing racism as a public-health crisis and cited local disparities in life expectancy and outcomes across communities. Trustees acknowledged the comments and did not take immediate action during the meeting; the public record shows the speakers have sought additional administrative review and made materials available to board members for follow-up.

The board did not provide a detailed response during the public-comment period and no formal action on the investigation was taken at the meeting.