Los Angeles student groups to protest racism and other right-wing hate

A busy week will be upon us. As most of you know, CEJ's campaign-turned-movement for the Schools LA Students Deserve has really grown in the last few years. Many of our chapters (we have 14 now!!) are called Students Deserve and our students, parents and teachers often call us Students Deserve now, although we are still Coalition for Educational Justice as well (CEJ). We have chapters as far west as Venice HS, as far east as Garfield HS, in Hollywood, Koreatown, Silver Lake, North Hollywood and South LA. We're seeing our dream of organizing across our huge city come to life!!

We wanted to share an exciting event  that our students have planned on their own with some support from our two new paid Students Deserve organizers, Maricela (full-time student and parent organizer) and Alfredo (part-time, supports the student organizing piece).

We're very excited to announce:

• Weds, January 18th: Students United Against Hate, United for the Communities LA Students Deserve 
Event- MacArthur Park 4:30pm
 (PDF Flyer attached below) We want a safe space for students by students as we challenge Trump, his politics, his followers, the systems of oppression that have allowed him to exist, and the damage that he wants to do to us.
  
  
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  There will be music, art, spoken word and a panel discussion. Our students are AWESOME. Please come to MacArthur Park on Wednesday after school if you are available!! We know that UTLA Chapter Chairs have Area Meetings that afternoon. 

We also will be involved on Thursday: January 19th: UTLA/ROS LA Morning Action. You probably know about the action taking place at schools. Students Deserve students want to support whatever this looks like at your campus to show that we won’t let Trump mess with schools and our communities.

Stay involved. Stay strong. Stay united. We will not be bullied by the incoming president and his right-wing cabinet nominees. WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN!

See you on Wednesday standing strong at MacArthur Park and Thursday standing strong at our schools!!

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Los Angeles student groups to protest racism and other right-wing hate

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) December General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Every month students, parents, and teachers of #StudentsDeserve gather to discuss and plan for the future of educational justice inside and outside our schools in Los Angeles. Considering the political state we are in, now more than ever we know that our grassroots work is important and necessary. For that reason, we invite YOU (students, parents, and teachers) to our General Assembly THIS THURSDAY. Come hear about the work that students and parents are building!

Bring a fellow parent and/or student to our General Assembly to learn about the fight for the Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve. Join us! Details in flyer attached below.

If you have any questions please email us at: lastudentsdeserve@gmail.com

Workshop: let the community drive LCFF/LCAP for Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve

Instituto de Padres / Parent Institute
Saturday, July 18, 2015
12:00 to 4:00PM
3303 Wilshire Blvd., 8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Instituto de Padres / Parent Institute by Robert D. Skeels

---

[The Education Trust-West] and many of the cited sources in the [20]14-15 ETW/LAUSD Case Study are noted School [R]eformers aligned with Secretary Duncan, the Broad/Gates/Waltons — and the then superintendent John Deasy — whose [Local Control Accountability Plan] LCAP this was. The Walton Foundation is thanked for their support. — Scott M. Folsom (4LAKids)

The Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC) and their billionaire backers saw Governor Brown's wrongheaded Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) proposals as a "double-play" against public education. On the one hand elimination of categorical funding would further expose the most vulnerable (e.g. Students With Disabilities—(SWD)) to inequitable funding at the whim of those controlling the LCFF/LCAP process, on the other it would further the designs of those wanting to destroy the public commons as per the Andy Smarick roadmap.

The NPIC drove the entire Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) LCFF/LCAP process. Authentic community, family, and educator voices were drowned out by a cacophony of corporate voices in the guise of "engagement" that only the well-funded NPIC can wield. The United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA), and its smaller NPIC allies like Community Coalition, and their man in LAUSD—Eli Broad trained Superintendent John Deasy, controlled the LAUSD LCFF/LCAP process from start to finish, with a blitzkrieg series of forums, surveys, public relations, and more. However, no one should be surprised that Community Coalition is now the front group suing the district on behalf of their funders. That's how to create a crisis part of neoliberalism, so well described by Naomi Klein, works.

A chance for community to drive the process

The activists behind the Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) movement have organized an Instituto de Padres / Parent Institute forum to train authentic parent and community leaders to advocate for students in their communities. Here's an excerpt from a note sent to me by a parent leader discussing the event:

I urge you to encourage adult student leaders in the community to learn about the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). We are having a Parent Institute on Saturday, July 18th. Please see attached flyers in English and Spanish. Khallid Al-Alim, LAUSD parent activist, will explain this budget process. It is crucial that we understand this, if we are to effectively push back against the NPIC that you so clearly describe.

Workshop: let the community drive LCFF/LCAP for Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) May General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, May 21, 2015
4:30-6:30PM
St. Marks Lutheran Church
3651 South Vermont Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(2 blocks north of the Expo line's Vermont station)

Final General Assembly of the school year. This year we have accomplished so much!

1. Parent Leadership Institutes provided space for parents from across the city to strategize about how to make changes in their children's schools
2. SLASD-GC parents exposed conditions at schools across LAUSD through participating in UTLA's Parent Caravan
3. In multi-day Youth Leadership Institutes, students discussed systemic oppression and resistance and built cross-school strategies
4. Students developed a social media campaign to spread awareness of issues at their schools
5. On their campuses, students took action to educate their peers about the Black Lives Matter movement 
6. Students gathered over 1,200 petitions to demand changes in their schools and delivered these to the School Board
7. We supported the fight for Ethnic Studies, and urged the School Board to fund new teaching positions to cover these new courses
8. Parents and students spoke at rallies across the city in support of the campaign for the Schools LA Students Deserve
9. In meetings with School Board members Zimmer, Kayser, and McKenna, we moved towards a School Board resolution
10. Overall, our campaign created more pressure on LAUSD to sign a good contract with UTLA!

At our General Assembly, we'll be assessing our work this year, and planning for our work over the Summer and next Fall to hit the ground running!

Please join us!

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) May General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) March General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, March 19, 2015
4:30-6:30PM
St. Marks Lutheran Church
3651 South Vermont Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(2 blocks north of the Expo line's Vermont station)

Following an invigorating Parent Institute this past Saturday, parents are full of ideas for how to move our work into the next stages!

Students have ideas for on-going political education efforts at their campuses, especially around the Black Lives Matter movement and issues, and how to launch the social media campaign through a cross-school online video.

Our campaign at the School Board is moving forward too, as meetings continue with School Board Members to develop a resolution for the changes students deserve to see in their schools.

Please join us to put all this into action.

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) March General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) January General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, January 29, 2015
4:30-6:30PM
St. Marks Lutheran Church
3651 South Vermont Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(2 blocks north of the Expo line's Vermont station)

Lots of potentially exciting organizing is coming up this year for the Schools LA Students Deserve Grassroots Coalition. We hope that you all can join students, parents, and teachers as we continue to fight for a socially just schools and communities!

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) January General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) November General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, November 6, 2014
4:20-6:45PM
St. Marks Lutheran Church
3651 South Vermont Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(2 blocks north of the Expo line's Vermont station)

The 2014-2015 school year is our time to take concrete action together and change the educational system and bigger systems that shape it.

Our key focal areas are:

1. Criminalization, punishment culture and push out in schools
2. Lack of Nurses/health services for youth through schools
3. Limited College Counselors for students
4. Narrow curriculum because of an over-emphasis on standardized testing - lack of electives (arts music, ethnic studies, etc.)
5. School destabilizations like reconstitutions that force an end to critical programs or push out veteran staff, especially African-American staff

Please join us as we move forward with exciting new steps and actions!

Rosa Jimenez's notes from previous General Assembly:

At SLASD's most recent General Assembly (October 2), participants forged ahead with a new student campaign, parent organizing, and coordination of teacher actions at 14 schools across LA.

The meeting was largely facilitated by students, and students led their own student-only discussion to develop their plan of action.

This week, students in at least 6 different schools across LA are kicking off a postcard petition drive to demand changes in their schools. Students from several different high schools collaborated to develop the postcards, which postcards will be delivered to the School Board in a creative action that highlights students' voices.

Parent and community organizers are in the process of reaching out to neighborhood councils & parent advisory councils, and plan to participate in UTLA parent / community forums, as well as build townhall meetings to represent the power of parents and community.

Teachers plan to support student and parent/community organizing, as well as organize co-workers at their schools sites around an understanding of the importance of building connections with parent and student communities.

Schools Present:

• STEM Academy of Hollywood
• Maya Angelou Community High School
• Santa Monica College
• UCLA Community School - Robert F. Kennedy Campus
• New Open World Academy - Robert F. Kennedy Campus
• Manual Arts High School
• Dorsey High School
• Charles White Elementary School
• Los Angeles High School
• Loreto Elementary School
• Palms Middle School
• Hamilton High School
• Alta Loma Middle School
• North Hollywood Highly Gifted Magnet High School

Movement Snapshot:
The Blowouts in East LA - focus on role of base-building and organizing in making the Blowouts possible

Discussion & Vote on Our Strategy & Demands for the Upcoming Period:

Approved Strategy:

1. Student-Led Tactics Including Post Cards for the Board of Education & Escalating Actions
2. Big Parent Meetings
3. Small Amounts of Focused Energy to Meet with Friendly Board Members
4. Building with Other Schools
5. Build with Other Organizations
6. Strengthen Communication Between Schools & Across Sectors (students with students, for example)

Approved Demands:

1. College Counselors, Nurses, and Librarians at our schools
2. More Elective & Art Classes and Ethnic Studies as a Graduation Requirement for All LA Schools
3. Fewer Students Per Class
4. Resources for School Improvement, Not IPADs for Testing
5. Stop Reconstitution in All its Names

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) November General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) October General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, October 2, 2014
4:15-6:30PM
St. Marks Lutheran Church
3651 South Vermont Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(2 blocks north of the Expo line's Vermont station)

Rosa Jimenez's notes from previous General Assembly:

Students and Parents from 10 different schools across LA participated. Many teachers from an even more schools and community college students attended the General Assembly as well.

Members from half a dozen community organizations participated as well as reps from various labor organizations and neighborhood councils.

As always, the General Assembly started with a Snapshot of a Social Movement—this time focusing on lessons that can be learned from students getting organized for educational justice across the nation.

Then the General Assembly created space for students, parents and teachers to discuss where to take our movement. We want to build off of our last year’s organizing and successful actions, including our March where we called upon LAUSD’s School Board to take up the issues that students, parents and teachers of the Grassroots Coalition have been organizing around.  Students met as a constituency group, as did parents and the teachers in a third group.

The Grassroots Coalition of Schools LA Students Deserve came up with some great ideas which we will be announcing soon.

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) October General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) August General Assembly

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) General Assembly

Thursday, August 28, 2014
4:15-6:30PM
Southern California Library
6120 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles CA 90044

SLASD five focal areas (the first four are part of the proposed School Board Motion):

1. Offer critical thinking and creative classes like art and ethnic studies instead of test prep classes
2. Provide support staff and services for students - nurses and college counselors
3. End all school destabilizations like reconstitutions
4. Develop a real community-driven budget for the district
5. Implement real community-driven Transformative Justice (not punishments and criminalization) in schools

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve (SLASD) August General Assembly

K12NN: Photo Gallery: Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve Rally 8-May-2014

Photo Gallery: Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve Rally 8-May-2014 http://t.co/BCtZbbtUMf @K12NN #LAUSD pic.twitter.com/UVDAopN5At

— RDSkeels4Schoolboard (@RDSkeels4LAUSD) June 7, 2014

K12NN: Photo Gallery: Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve Rally 8-May-2014

SLASD Community rally for an authentic voice in the LAUSD LCFF/LCAP process!

 How do YOU want LAUSD to spend YOUR $$$?

standardized tests? iPads? consultants?

or 

full-time nurses, psychologists, counselors???

psychiatric social workers?

librarians, art , music, P.E teachers????

adult education, pre-K??

other services?

March and Rally TOMORROW!!!

 May 8th, 4:30 p.m.

RFK Community School

701 S. Catalina St.

Los Angeles, 90005

Meet at 4:30

Parking available at RFK Community

(Entrance to parking lot on Catalina or parking garage on 8th St.)

March to corner of Wilshire and Vermont

If you can't make it at 4:30, 

meet at corner of Wilshire and Vermont at 5:00 p.m.

right outside Metro Station (Red/Purple Line)

If you can't make it at all, find someone who can, and 

Spread the Word!

We can quietly agonize 

or ACTIVELY ORGANIZE!

You Choose!

¡ATENCIÓN PADRES DE FAMILIA!

¿Como quiere que el LAUSD gaste nuestro $$$?

¿en exámenes inútiles? ¿en iPads? ¿en consultantes inútiles?

o

¿enfermeras, psicólogos, consejeros por tiempo completo?

¿trabajadores sociales psiquiátricos?

¿bibliotecarios, maestros de arte, música y gimnasia?

¿más clases para adultos?

¿más maestros de pre-kinder?

¿otros servicios?

¡VENGAN A UNA MARCHA Y MANIFESTACIÓN EN 5 DÍAS!

El día jueves, 8 de mayo a las 4:30

RFK Community School

701 S. Catalina St.

Los Ángeles 90010

(en la esquina de la Calle 7 y la Catalina)

Nos reunimos a las 4:30 en la RFK Community School

Hay estacionamiento en la RFK Community School en la entrada de la Calle 8

Al reunirnos, vamos a hacer la marcha hasta la esquina de Wilshire y Vermont (solo a 4 cuadras)

Si no puede llegar a las 4:30 en la RFK Community School

Unase con nosotros a las 5:00 en la esquina de Wilshire y Vermont

en frente de la estación del Metro (Línea Roja/Morada)

Si no puede participar, encuentre una persona que si puede 

y animarle a presentarse y 

¡PASAR LA VOZ!

Podemos sufrir en silencio 

u ¡ORGANIZARNOS CON GANAS!

La opción es nuestra

SLASD Community rally for an authentic voice in the LAUSD LCFF/LCAP process!

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve General Assembly Update

Via SLASD email:

We had a fantastic speak out at December's General Assembly with energetic conversations and actions.  Thanks to all of you who came out and brought people from your school, neighborhood, or organization!   The speak out addressed the 5 major areas that have come up over and over again at our General Assemblies and Community forums:

1.       Criminalization, punishment culture and push out in schools 

2.        Lack of Nurses/health services for youth through schools

3.        Limited College Counselors for students

4.       Narrow curriculum because of an over-emphasis on standardized testing - lack of electives (arts music, ethnic studies, etc.)

5.       School destabilizations like reconstitutions that force an end to critical programs or push out veteran staff, especially African-American staff

There were other important issues that people spoke out about as well, including health concerns like insects and custodial cutbacks, lack of access to libraries, and lack of real spaces for students, parents, teachers and community to force decision-making power and control. This speak out was a powerful way for people to hear about issues at schools across different part of our huge city!  Participants also got to learn more about transformative justice and the rights of students with disabilities in a mini-workshop after the speak out.

Early in March we will hold our next General Assembly.

Schools Los Angeles Students Deserve General Assembly Update