October 15, 2024—Richmondside reporter Natalie Hanson speaks with Managing Attorney John Affeldt and Staff Attorney Karissa Provenza on a Contra Costa County Superior Court judge’s ruling earlier this month, denying to request the West Contra Costa Unified School District to address staffing and facility issues in schools across the the district. Despite concerns from students, their families, and educators, hazardous facilities conditions and a disproportionate rate of teacher vacancies in school sites with large populations of Black students went unaddressed for years. Stege Elementary School, which contains lead and asbestos, was not closed until Public Advocates’ lawsuit was filed. Judge Terri Mockler stated that she could not force the WCCUSD to quickly find answers to problems that are ‘facing every public school district’.
Karissa Provenza, staff attorney for Public Advocates, said: “For over a year, the students and teachers of Stege Elementary have pleaded with the district to take action and provide its students with a safe place to play, grow, and learn from qualified and supported teachers. Despite this setback, we will continue to fight.”
Public Advocates’ managing attorney John Affeldt said in the statement that he thinks the judge’s ruling was in error.
“The legislature established with the Williams v. California settlement that certain minimum necessities are so inviolate that districts must remedy their denial immediately when proven and report back to complainants,” he said. “To allow valid facility complaints to go ignored and illegal teachers to continue in place runs counter to the basic requirements of Williams. We are consulting with clients about next steps.”
