Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1535219
network and community — grassroots, from the ground up. is is the collective expression of our school community and part of a larger movement," he says. "I'm grateful to come to school every day and work with young adults, be a part of this move- ment and work to further it." Creating Safe and Brave Spaces for All " Who is going to fight for you when you're under attack? We need to defend, protect and uplift each other, especially our most vulnerable," says Mikaela Magaña, a high school history teacher and member of Sanger Unified Teachers Association (SUTA). Magaña was shocked when she was told to remove the Pride flag from her classroom in late 2022, with administrators citing a new school board-approved policy and deeming the flag "contro- versial." Other educators at Sanger West High School were also told to remove LGBTQ-inclusive flags and posters from their classrooms, some of which had been on the walls for years. e school board had quietly approved the extreme policy a few months earlier without notifying SUTA of the unilateral change. Educators compiled information about where and how the policy was being enforced in schools throughout the district, eventually filing a complaint with the Public Employment Rela- tions Board (PERB) and winning late last year. An administrative law judge found that the school district violated the law in sev- eral ways: 1) e policy was so vague and broad that it could also include banning union symbols; 2) the display of Pride flags and posters is protected activity ; 3) the unilateral change was subject to bargaining; and 4) the district failed to provide infor- mation to SUTA in a timely manner. "While I'm happy we won the case, this is just the beginning of continued efforts of educators to support all of our margin- alized students," Magaña says. "is is just the beginning of a marathon that we will be confronting over these next four years. Even though we won this case, people are still afraid of putting up their flags because of potential retaliation. Especially with the current presidential administration, we don't know what's going to happen." According to Magaña, the school district's extreme Santa Maria educators stepped up to support their students' efforts to create sanctuary zones around their schools. Jose Rodriguez, history teacher, Santa Maria EEA Javier Benvenutti, SDC teacher, Palo Verde Teachers Association "Of course we're going to protect our students. Whether they're documented or undocumented, all these students belong to us." —Jose Rodriguez, Santa Maria Elementary Education Assn. 19 M AY 2 0 2 5