Complaint and Lawsuit Against West Contra Costa Unified School District (2024)

Public Advocates Files Complaint to Address Educator Staffing Concerns in West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD)

Since 2005, as a result of Williams v. California, a landmark lawsuit brought by Public Advocates and other organizations in 2000, school districts are required to correct teacher vacancies and unlawful assignments within 30 days. Williams also established the right to textbooks, clean, safe, and functional schools.

On January 31, 2024, Public Advocates filed a Williams complaint with the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) to address the district’s failure to provide students with the qualified teachers they are entitled to under the law in three schools: Stege Elementary School, Helms Middle School, and John F. Kennedy High School.

Attorneys at Public Advocates have uncovered numerous teacher vacancies and a pattern of inaction by school administrators, who have instead filled the classes illegally with long-term substitutes or have had permanent educators staff at these schools spending their free periods filling in for vacant classes, placing additional burdens on educators throughout the district.

In our complaint, Public Advocates called on WCCUSD to take immediate action to remedy these violations, while also developing long term solutions.

Public Advocates Files Sam Cleare Et al. v. West Contra Costa Unified School District

On July 19, 2024, Public Advocates and pro bono counsel Munger, Tolles & Olson, filed a lawsuit on behalf of six educators, staff and parents, against the West Contra Costa Unified School District for failing to address staffing and facility issues in schools across the the district, violating the rights of their students—low-income, Black and multilingual learners—who are guaranteed the basic tools necessary for a quality education.

This is the first lawsuit brought under the landmark Williams v. California settlement against a district to enforce the rights of educational stakeholders.

Resources:

Learn: How prepared are teachers across the state? (Ed Trust-West)
Read: How do we create a more diverse educator workforce? (Public Advocates)
Learn: What is a Williams complaint? (Public Advocates)
Learn: How do I file a Williams complaint? (Spanish, Chinese) (Public Advocates)

Complaints:

Stege Elementary School Williams complaint
Helms Middle School Williams complaint
John F Kennedy High School Williams complaint

Legal Documents:

Petitioners’ Petition for Writ of Mandate and Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief
Petitioners’ Notice of Motion and Motion to Issue Writ of Mandate to Comply with Education Code Section 35186
Respondents’ Opposition to Motion for Writ of Mandate
Petitioners Reply in Support of Motion to Issue Writ of Mandate to Comply with Education Code Section 35186

Press Releases: