In the face of student violence, discrimination allegations from students, leadership changes at Pioneer Valley High School, and behavioral issues, high school district board candidates Gabriel A. Morales and Alma Hernandez see communication from the district as a key component to addressing these issues.
Morales and Hernandez are facing off in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s first by-district election to represent Trustee Area 3. While the candidate will still carry all of the district’s interests in mind, voters who live between Skyway Drive and Bradley Road, south from Stowell Road, and north of the Santa Maria airport will cast their ballots for their representative on the school board.
“I really felt like I have the skill set to connect with parents and students because of my work and engagement and to be able to take on this role,” said Hernandez, the incumbent.
Hernandez was appointed to the board last year to fill former board member Amy Lopez’s seat after she moved to Pismo Beach. Since her time on the board, Hernandez has supported additional mental health services coming online through campus wellness centers and increased math requirements from two to three years to help more students meet state college requirements.
Morales worked in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District for 10 years as a parent trainer and teacher trainer and then worked as a consultant for the state Department of Education. He ran for the county Board of Education in 2016 but lost by 800 votes, he said.
He joined the high school district race after speaking with the teachers’ faculty union, which encouraged him to go for the position, he said.
“I think leadership and community is really important, it always has been,” Morales said. “That’s what’s missing is getting the community involved at our schools, it’s the heart of our community.”
Districtwide, residents will also vote on a $194 million bond measure (known as Measure J) that is meant to fund a new comprehensive high school and help address overcrowding across the district’s four sites. Both candidates voiced support for the bond measure and said they believe it will help address some of the issues seen districtwide.
“One of the ways to alleviate violence concerns or safety concerns is to be able to have an additional school so there can be more services and accessibility for students in each school,” Hernandez said. “I do understand the concerns of having a bond and additional cost, but not just our schools’ but our community’s safety and ability to thrive—it’s dependent on having strong schools.”
During the Sept. 10 school board meeting, several students who are English learners came forward during public comment with allegations about discrimination and racism in the classrooms and asked for help from the board to prevent these behaviors. “The community needs to know it’s going to be addressed and we are putting things in place so they are not feeling discriminated against in any way,” Morales said. “Things have to be addressed sooner rather than later.”
In October, high school faculty told the board about their experiences with violence on school campuses—with students hiding in classrooms to avoid being assaulted and teachers fearing retaliation if they speak out.
Hernandez agreed that there’s room for improvement for the district’s lines of communication with the community.
“No. 1 is we want to make sure we understand exactly what’s happening—just listening to the teachers, working with the administrators,” Hernandez said. “We’ve done some training on safety in the past regarding violence if something happens. We’re working to make sure we have not only good collaboration with our safety officers, but also mental health programs to make sure there’s no challenges in the pathways to getting needs addressed.”
Morales also said that mental health and behavioral support systems need to be in place at each site, but the district should improve its efforts to work with parents, the juvenile justice system departments, and the elementary school districts to address concerns of violence.
Students coming into the high school who have instances of violence or outbursts during class often had similar issues in the elementary school, and it’s important for the district to have open lines of communication with the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, Morales said.
“It’s a feeder system; it’s like a doctor accepting a new patient: They aren’t going to accept [them] without a full medical profile,” he said. “There’s something going on in them, causing them to act out, and we need to find out what those issues are.”
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 10, 2024.