LAUSD Candidate Karla Griego on Inclusion and Diversity

“There should be no co-locations on LAUSD campuses.”

– LAUSD Candidate Karla Griego

After Graciela “Grace” Ortiz was sued by a student who claimed the candidate had not done enough to protect her from a sexual assault at gunpoint, there was a shift in the momentum in the race to replace the retiring Jackie Goldberg as the BD5 representative on the LAUSD School Board. This allowed teacher/parent Karla Griego to beat the Charter School industry’s candidate by 5,220 votes. However, since Griego did not win more than 50% of the votes, she will face Ortiz in November’s general election.

One difference between the candidates is Griego’s willingness to answer questions about her viewpoints. Griego responded to questions about Special Education, PROP-39 Co-Locations, Student Safety, and The Budget in the months leading to the primary election. Ortiz did not answer any.

For April the candidates in the runoff election were asked questions about Inclusion and Diversity and Griego was the first to respond. Background information about the questions in this edition of the LAUSD Candidate Forum can be found at LAUSD Candidate Forum: Inclusion and Diversity.

These are the answers provided by Griedgo:

• Question: The proposed “LAUSD Resolution On Antisemitism” includes a requirement “that standalone units of study on antisemitism in both middle and high school will include a lesson on how the misuse of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction movements can be antisemitic.” Would you support a resolution that included this wording?

Answer: No response provided.

• Question: During the 2020 election, the California Charter School Association (CCSA) ran an ad campaign against Scott Schmerelson that was widely condemned for using Anti-Semitic tropes. Based on these actions would you reject support from this organization?

Answer: Anti-Semitism and any forms of discrimination need to be taken seriously. I would reject support from CCSA for this reason and many others, including their efforts to dismantle public education in Los Angeles.

• Question: During this year’s primary election, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) endorsed a candidate who in the past had called on the LAUSD to include in its curriculum a book that has been called “the Bible of new antisemitism.” Was the union correct to pull its endorsement of this candidate?

Answer: I trust that my union went through the proper democratic processes to come to the decision to rescind their support of the LAUSD candidate. The book in question has no place in LAUSD classrooms.

• Question: When Citizens of the World Charter School was co-located on the campus of Shirley Avenue Elementary School it had a student body that was significantly whiter and more affluent than its host. Should charter schools be held responsible for ensuring that their demographics reflect that of the community?

Answer: There should be no co-locations on LAUSD campuses. In the meantime, charter schools have the responsibility to create equitable access to their schools and their programs.

• Question: Do you support “The Great Big Book of Families,” as an age-appropriate resource for teaching elementary school students about diversity in family structures?

Answer: Absolutely. All families in LAUSD deserve to be reflected in our curriculum.

• Question: Bullying often has an underlying component of racism, homophobia, or other types of bigotry. Is the LAUSD doing enough to eliminate bullying from its campuses?

Answer: LAUSD can do more to address anti-black racism, islamophobia, anti-semitism, homophobia, misogyny, and all forms of hate and bullying at every school.

• Question: Long-used forms of student discipline have been accused of contributing to a school-to-prison pipeline. In response, the LAUSD has mandated that schools limit suspensions and implement Restorative Justice programs. Is the District providing enough support to ensure that these will help achieve their stated goal?

Answer: LAUSD is notorious for paying lip service to programs without the proper investments to ensure those programs succeed. LAUSD can provide additional training, certificated staff like mental health counselors, PSWs, and psychologists AND culturally relevant curriculum to STOP the school to prison pipeline.

• Question: The LAUSD has programs in place to lower the number of black students eligible for Special Education services claiming that this racial group is often overidentified and this causes harm. Do these programs run the risk of preventing students from receiving the services that they need?

Answer: I think we have to work to find a balance between overidentifying black students as special needs and actually providing the services that they need. There is strong evidence that overidentification based on bias and structural racism is real AND special education’s severe underfunding is forcing schools to cut corners because of lack of funding and support. We also need to make sure parents and community members are involved at every step of the way.

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Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for public education, particularly for students with special education needs, who serves as the Education Chair for the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.