Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1509126
is underway," says OUEA President Greg Goodlander. "Parents are sad, upset and angry at the behaviors of the board majority, and when not collecting signatures, they are making their voices heard at school board meetings and on social media." Goldberg says CTA will continue to stand with students and communities and against divisive and dangerous policies. " We will never waver when it comes to advocating for our students and their safety. We will not support policies that harm children," Goldberg says. " We will not be distracted by head- line-chasing extremists who attack our schools from within. Rather, we will continue to urge our elected officials to focus on what matters: providing more resources for our students, recruiting and retaining quality educators, and keeping our schools safe." Temecula: Educators file lawsuit to defend students and truth After more than eight months of unrest and community division, students, parents, educators and TVEA filed a lawsuit against the TVUSD school board majority that brought culture wars and chaos to an award-winning school district. With the representation of non-profit legal organization Pub- lic Counsel, TVEA filed suit in early August alleging the school board violated the law in adopting a resolution last December banning the teaching of ambiguously defined, race-related topics. Educators say the politicized action by TVUSD has impacted district safety. " T VE A joined the lawsuit to guard against the negative impacts to Temecula students and educators in the classroom," says Edgar Díaz, TVEA president. "In the months following the resolution's implementation, we've seen its broad and vague lan- guage used as a weapon. Educators are identified and harassed on social media and classroom voicemails with horrible accu- sations that go against the nature of our service to the students of Temecula." e lawsuit is a civil rights action challenging the imposition of curriculum censorship of what students can learn about American history, gender subject matters, and their racial and gender identities. During a press conference announcing the lawsuit, Temecula fourth grade teacher Amy Eytchison teared up while reading comments from a student about the impact the board's decisions have had and could continue to have on students and the community. "Young adults became targets for social media harassment, not by children, but adults," Temecula student Mary M. wrote. "Although this resolution has impacted my personal life, the con- tinuation of the board's ideological policies has the potential to harm the future of this district." Diaz notes that TVUSD's current board majority has created a chilling atmosphere where teachers choosing the "wrong" book, topic or discussion results in the educator being removed from the classroom due to the vague nature of the resolution. CTA Board Member Wendy Eccles with ACT President Brenda Walker. "Our members want kids to be safe at school and to learn. They don't want to be forced to go against state laws and policies to further divisive priorities of a majority of the board." — ACT President Brenda Walker 26 cta.org Feature