Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1530930
At first, district admin wasn't providing safe drinking water for students, despite telling the community they were. AUTA started an information campaign in the school community to spread the word to parents and families and rallying to demand action. "I talked to the superintendent and I wasn't getting anywhere, so we went to the community to let them know their students didn't have access to safe drinking water," Liebert says. "It was a lot of education for our community, starting Facebook pages, making and posting videos, having our members be present, and holding up signs in both English and Spanish saying that we deserve access to clean water." AUTA also reached out to local media outlets, which spread the story and helped shine a light on the hazardous conditions in Auburn schools. is made for heated school board meetings, where school board members made personal attacks on Liebert and district admin made ridiculous comments, like when they claimed teachers were refusing deliveries of bottled water to the school (there was actually nowhere to store the massive pallets of water the district kept sending). "We did a lot of picketing, made a lot of signs and organized parents and the community," says Liebert. "After the media got involved, I think the school board felt a lot of pressure about our kids not having access to clean drinking water. Then parents started coming to the meetings and asking questions." e lead fixtures were finally replaced in November/December 2023 but that wasn't the end of the ordeal — the pipes needed to be f lushed for 45 days to ensure all the lead was gone from the system. is meant the water was unsafe to drink until early January, due to prolonged inaction from Auburn Union's school board and administration. Liebert says it's important to lean into CTA resources and support when fighting for issues like this. While AUTA members organized on the ground, she said day-to-day support from CTA staff was invaluable. Led by president Sara Liebert (front row, third from left), Auburn educators fought the district to get safe drinking water for students. Continued on Page 20 19 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 The Williams Act T H E W I L L I A M S A C T establishes the following requirements for California public schools: • Sufficient instructional materials: Every student must be provided with the necessary textbooks and instructional materials in core subjects. • Qualified teachers: Schools must employ properly credentialed teachers, particularly in core subjects. • Safe and clean facilities: Schools must maintain facilities that are clean, safe and in good repair, with basic services such as functioning restrooms, clean drinking water and working heating and ven- tilation systems. • Accountability and oversight: Schools must undergo regular inspections, and every California public school must post and make available com- plaint forms and procedures to report issues related to these requirements. Complaint forms are also available online at the California Department of Edu- cation or by calling (877) 532-2533. The state law is a response to the 2000 Williams v. California lawsuit, which argued that students in many low-income California schools were being denied access to basic educational necessities, including credentialed teachers, adequate textbooks and safe, healthy and well-maintained school facilities. The Williams Act guarantees specific rights for California public school students to promote educational equity. Contact your CTA staff for support and resources on the Williams Act and other health and safety tools and guidance to support your fight for safe school facilities. Passage of Prop. 2: Not Enough I N N O V E M B E R , California voters approved Proposition 2, a bond to provide $10 billion in funding for repairs and upgrades at thousands of K–12 public schools and community colleges. Many districts have already been approved for projects to repair hazardous mold, leaky roofs and septic systems, as well as to build classrooms and replace aging buildings. But this is not nearly enough. The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that it would cost more than $100 billion to fix every leaking roof and broken heater on California's campuses. Priority areas for improvement include seismic retrofitting for earthquake safety; plumbing and water system modernizations to ensure safe drinking water; HVAC renovations for air quality and climate control; and electrical and technological infrastructure upgrades.