School board approves resolution to better support Latinx students

The San Francisco Board of Education on Tuesday approved a resolution to develop strategies that support and uplift Latinx students, while addressing any disparities they may face in comparison with their peers.

The resolution, authored by both Commissioner Gabriela Lopez and Board Vice President Mark Sanchez, establishes two new advisory and oversight bodies; the San Francisco Unified School District Latinx Community Council and the Latinx Internal Oversight Committee.

The LCC is a community advisory board made up of Latinx parents, students, educators, service providers and community members, while the LIOC is made up of leaders from the Superintendent Cabinet and other school district departments.

Sanchez said in a statement:

“By promoting more visibility and representation of the Latinx Community within our schools curriculum and by recruiting and retaining more Latinx educators and school-site staff, we can greatly improve the learning experience for our Latinx students.” 

He said:

“We remain committed to creating vibrant, engaging centers of learning that empower all students to achieve their full potential.” 

In addition to the new advisory and oversight bodies, the resolution will use data-driven approaches to track Latinx students’ achievement and sociaemotional measures. The resolution also calls for developing new academic programs that aim to expose Latinx students to careers in which Latinx people are disproportionately represented.

Lopez said:

“Eliminating the achievement gap for Latinx students requires a holistic framework and enhanced accountability measures.”  

She said:

“We must consider the structural and systemic barriers along with linguistic and cultural barriers that have impeded greater partnership between the district and Latinx families and community members.”