f{"id":18278,"date":"2021-04-08T10:02:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T17:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=18278"},"modified":"2021-04-08T10:07:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T17:07:32","slug":"it-feels-like-sfusd-is-falling-apart-student-calls-out-embattled-school-board-in-searing-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2021\/04\/08\/it-feels-like-sfusd-is-falling-apart-student-calls-out-embattled-school-board-in-searing-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It feels like SFUSD is falling apart’: Student calls out embattled school board in searing speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joshua Bote<\/a>, SFGATE April 7, 2021 (SFGate.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In
In this March 12, 2020, file photo, is the Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco.Jeff Chiu \/ Associated Press 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A San Francisco student made a stunning plea to the embattled city board of education during Tuesday\u2019s Zoom meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoe Simotas, a senior at Lowell High School, introduces herself in a cheery voice before getting down to brass tacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m honestly here to just ask the board of education to pull it together,\u201d she says during her 90-second public comment, recorded by HereSay Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis honestly feels like a runaway train. All of the infighting and individual actions taken outside of board of education meetings are ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, Simotas is likely alluding to the lawsuit Allison Collins filed last week<\/a> against her colleagues after she was ousted in March from her position as the board’s vice president. Her removal came after a series of controversial tweets from 2016 were re-circulated<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would really ask all of you to examine why you\u2019re here and think back on why you chose to run for the board of education,\u201d Simotas said. \u201cAnd the only answer to that question is to fight for students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a moment to listen to this high school senior, who called into public comment during the San Francisco school board meeting on April 6.

“I’m honestly here to just ask the Board of Education to pull it together. Like, please.” pic.twitter.com\/mY5qCjHbSg<\/a>\u2014 HereSay Media (@HereSayMedia) April 7, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels like SFUSD is falling apart,\u201d she added.Read More<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The district has endured a slew of scandals over the past few months, including a notable lawsuit filed by the city attorney for the district’s failure to re-open schools in a timely manner<\/a>. Another lawsuit was filed amid the school renaming controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During her brief but resonant comment, Simotas, a reporter for the school’s student paper, expressed relief that she will be graduating in just under two months. But she said she worries for the future that holds for her younger brother \u2014 who is just about to enter sixth grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also stood in support of the decision made to change<\/a> Lowell\u2019s merit system to a lottery system, a move that supporters say will improve diversity in the school and reduce inequities in the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, the school board also made the decision to renege on its proposal to rename 44 schools in the district, a proposal that was met with severe criticism \u2014 in part due to its timing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its failure to cite historians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joshua Bote is a news and features reporter for SFGATE. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, and has previously worked as a reporter at USA Today and a music writer at NPR. Email: joshua.bote@sfgate.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joshua Bote, SFGATE April 7, 2021 (SFGate.com) A San Francisco student made a stunning plea to the embattled city board of education during Tuesday\u2019s Zoom meeting. Zoe Simotas, a senior at Lowell High School, introduces herself in a cheery voice before getting down to brass tacks. \u201cI\u2019m honestly here to just… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n'It feels like SFUSD is falling apart': Student calls out embattled school board in searing speech -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2021\/04\/08\/it-feels-like-sfusd-is-falling-apart-student-calls-out-embattled-school-board-in-searing-speech\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'It feels like SFUSD is falling apart': Student calls out embattled school board in searing speech -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Joshua Bote, SFGATE April 7, 2021 (SFGate.com) A San Francisco student made a stunning plea to the embattled city board of education during Tuesday\u2019s Zoom meeting. 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