July 19, 2024—Ed Source reporter spoke with Law Fellow Karissa Provenza and community partners about the lawsuit they filed against West Contra Costa Unified School District for failing to address poor building conditions, teacher vacancies, and violating the rights of students, particularly Black, low-income, and multilingual learners.
The lawsuit comes after nearly 50 Williams Complaints were submitted to the district over months with limited to no action. It’s the first time a school district has been sued after the landmark Williams v. California settlement in 2004, which established the complaint process, the right to textbooks, clean, safe schools, and qualified teachers for all California public school students, said Karissa Provenza, Public Advocates attorney.
