The colorful mural was brought to life by local artist Robert ‘Dytch66’ Gomez of Blank Canvas LA. (Photo by Attain Design & Marketing)

An LAUSD magnet school recently celebrated a remarkable milestone by unveiling a stunning mural.

Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, or VOCES, welcomed the mural as a step in the school’s effort to create an inspiring campus environment.

VOCES is a new school serving students from grades 6-12. Formerly Sun Valley High School, the east San Fernando Valley school welcomed its first class of students in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

This upcoming academic year holds particular significance for VOCES as the school is occupying the campus exclusively for the first time. To commemorate this milestone, the school administration decided to commission the mural serving as a symbol of the school’s vibrant spirit.

“We’ve shared this space with a charter school, but this past year was the last year they will be occupying this campus,” said VOCES Principal Ivania Holodnak. “Before, it was hard to grow, but that’s not the case anymore. Now that we have room to expand, we need the marketing and branding that will help establish this school in this community.”

Renowned local artist, Robert ‘Dytch66’ Gomez of Blank Canvas LA, was selected to bring the mural to life. With Blank Canvas LA’s expertise in custom murals, outside murals, hand-painted murals, graffiti, painting, and signs, he was the perfect choice to undertake this ambitious project.

“The purpose of this mural was to inspire hope … This is not just a painting; it is a symbol of faith in the students and their future aspirations,” said Gomez. “Teaching them that there are multiple ways to chase their dreams, and anything is possible.”

A closer look at the mural. (Photo by Attain Design & Marketing)

Spanning 40 feet, the mural adorns a wall adjacent to the school’s gymnasium. The centerpiece of the artwork is VOCES’ mascot, a Spartan warrior, depicted in a burst of vibrant colors. The mascot is set against a backdrop combining elements of the school’s film program, showcasing reels representing the academy’s focus on film and production curriculum.

“Sun Valley High School was a failing school that was not serving the community as a high quality option for its students. When VOCES opened its doors, it was meant to stop people in this community from sending their kids to other schools,” said Holodnak. “Branding is so crucial because your community needs a sense of pride in their school. So this mural is just one way to let our students, staff, parents and stakeholders know that VOCES is the Sun Valley community’s beacon of hope.”

Holodnak said the mural was just one way the school is trying to establish itself in the community, including more rigorous courses and working with media companies to offer internships in film and production.

“One of the things that is so important is your vision,” Holodnak said. “No one will follow you if you don’t have a vision. This mural not only is a vibrant way to establish VOCES, but it also represents a new era for this campus.”

Holodnak said the old Sun Valley High logo was still visible throughout the school, but mentioned how the school has “worked hard to remove the final traces of that school and tell everyone about VOCES’s vision.”

“I want them to see our brand new beautiful mural and see the Hollywood sign, the film and production elements and say ‘OK, that’s what I want. I want to be a part of that. I want to be there.’ ”

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.

Delilah Brumer

For LAUSD student Delilah Brumer, journalism was not all that appealing — until a series of events tested her and her classmates, revealing the power of the pen and the press.

Delilah’s reporting in her community and school led to her selection as California’s 2023 Student Journalist of the Year. Last month, Delilah was recognized as one of five finalists for the Journalism Education Association Journalist of the Year and awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

“This four year journey as a journalist has been really life changing and having all these people behind me has made it even more amazing…” Delilah said. While jumping over countless hurdles, Delilah realized the importance of advocating for your work and supporting fellow journalists.

When Delilah’s class at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School faced censorship from the school administration, journalism teacher Adriana Chavira defended them, ultimately leading to an unlawful suspension. Rather than being silenced, Delilah and her classmates found their voices through journalism.

After writing nearly 100 stories for her school newspaper, Delilah found a sense of purpose and passion as a student journalist. She will be attending the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University this fall.

In an interview with LA School Report, LAUSD student Delilah talked about what led to her becoming California’s Student Journalist of the Year:

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did Ms. Chavira and your experience at Daniel Pearl help you get into Northwestern? Do you owe part of your success to her?

Ms. Chavira is one of the most important people in my life. She has impacted me not just by being my teacher, but supporting me in my journey. If it wasn’t for her, I would probably be a completely different person! I am so thankful to her.

She doesn’t lead our newspaper; she lets us take the reins. She supports each and every one of us in any way she can. We always joke that she’s super strict or passive aggressive, but she’s just a great person who wants to see you succeed. She definitely is one of the biggest reasons I got into Northwestern, but beyond that, she’s one of the biggest reasons I know what I want to do in life.

Looking back at her suspension last year, what are some things you can take away from that experience?

I think that the censorship incident was really, really scary and stressful, but at the same time, it did teach me a lot. It taught me more about journalism law and journalism ethics. It taught me that it’s important to stand up for my work and to know that if my work is solid, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I didn’t write the story that caused the censorship but the student who did, who’s also my friend, did a great job reporting, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

The fact that LAUSD tried to censor us was kind of a punch; it was out of the blue. It took nine months of behind the scenes fighting and organizing and all that kind of stuff. While it taught me to be more confident and careful in my work, it also showed just how much Ms. Chavira was willing to fight for us.

I think most journalism advisers would at least second guess potentially losing their job for a story their students wrote, but it was never even a question for her. Ms. Chavira was there for us, and she said, “It is your decision. And I will go along with it. Whatever it is. If you want to take down the article, if you want to adjust the article, if you want to leave it up exactly how it is, it’s all up to you.”

We were scared of her losing her job or being suspended. A lot of us even wanted to bend to the district’s will because of it. But we also knew that if we did that, we were just showing them that they can continue to censor us like they can continue to censor other schools. That was the biggest reason we decided to continue fighting after we made the initial decision to keep the article the way it is.

• Read more: Suspended: How an LAUSD journalism teacher’s ‘dream’ job turned into a nightmare

I want to talk about your achievement as California Student Journalist of the Year. Congratulations! Tell me more about that. 

I think one of the biggest things I learned is that people are watching you and the impact you’re making in your community. As I was putting together my portfolio with almost a year’s worth of work, seeing people respond to all of it was so amazing. I knew that the reporting I was doing, whether it be about my school district’s bus driver shortage or about a new club at my school, the readers cared, and people do care about student journalists.

Another thing I learned as I was putting my portfolio together is that I have done a lot more than I thought I have done. I’ve written almost 100 articles! As I was combing through thousands of photos, it was really mind blowing to just see my work all together. It’s easy over four years to get used to what you do, because you care about it. It was nice to step back and be like, “Wow, I’ve grown a lot.” So that was really great.

The way I found out was great, too, because my adviser threw me a little surprise party. That day, we were passing out our magazine, so I was very stressed because magazine distribution is always a hectic time. As I was coordinating, Ms. Chavira kept telling me how we had a magazine critique at 10am and emphasized how I needed to be there. So I went in and saw my principals and counselors and staff writers who are in other periods, but I didn’t think anything of it because I was still stressed.

https://twitter.com/BrumerDelilah/status/1625234204291395585?s=20

We go on Zoom where Mitch Ziegler from the Journalism Education Association starts actually talking about our magazine, kind of playing the role, and I didn’t think much of it so I started listening and taking notes. He then calls out my name and asks me to raise my hand. I do and that’s when he tells me, “you’re the California Student Journalist of the Year.”

I was so confused and stunned that I didn’t even get to scream or jump. The disbelief left me speechless, it was just absolutely incredible. My staff and Ms. Chavira being there for me was very special.

What would you say would be one of the most memorable experiences that you’ve had as a journalist?

One of the most memorable stories I’ve covered was when I was interning with the LA Times High School Insider this past summer. I noticed my friends and myself really struggle with the college application process. I saw other students from all different walks of life: first generation students, low income students, wealthy students, students from all over the state, all of us were just struggling with the process. I wanted to look more into that, so I started to do some research into things like the teen mental health crisis and how college applications played into that, especially because the process is now so much harder than in past years.

After connecting with other students, I was able to write an impactful piece on how teens are not just dealing with the college application process, but also how they’re overcoming their difficulties. And I think that it was really impactful.

I was able to have that story published in the Los Angeles Times, which is crazy to me! The fact that such a big news outlet would publish my work, and also that that work got to be read by such a huge audience was amazing. I especially think it was beneficial for adults to read the piece, because a lot of times they don’t know what goes on in teens’ lives.

Congratulations for being published in the LA Times, and congratulations on getting into Northwestern. What is something that you look forward to when you enroll in the fall? 

I think the biggest thing I’m excited about is joining the newspaper. I want to learn from all these amazing college students and hone my skills, so I’m really excited to join that community. I think that going halfway across the country is so scary, but having that community I know be able to form makes it more exciting and less terrifying.

What has been your journey as a journalist? What has shaped you into the reporter that you are today?

I go to a journalism magnet school, but at first, I had no interest in journalism. I argued with my school counselor about being put in the class at all, actually. It was at that time, as a freshman, that I began to explore storytelling almost against my will. But as I learned how to write well and take photos while doing all of this really exciting work, I realized my work was really impactful. Ms. Chavira, my journalism instructor, really helped me start to find my voice in journalism, and so has my newspaper staff, because after I finished my freshman year, I was completely hooked.

Tell me more about the types of journalism that you’re interested in. What are some formats you may want to try in the future?

The main thing I do is write more long form pieces. I do a lot of both breaking news and investigative and a lot of newsy feature pieces. I also love photography. While I’ve done a couple of videos through PBS Student Reporting Labs with my school, I want to learn more video journalism. I think that it’s really important for journalists to have multimedia skills and to be able to tell stories in unique ways. Another thing I want to branch more into is audio journalism. One of my best friends runs the podcast for our school, and I want to learn more about what she does. Overall, I’m interested in becoming more of a multimedia journalist because that’s really important in today’s media landscape.

To close this interview, I want to ask you how you find value in journalism. In your opinion, why is journalism important work?

I’ve always heard that journalists are the voice for the voiceless, and I have to say I disagree with that. I think journalism is a way to amplify people’s voices, not to speak for them. I think that’s what’s so impactful about journalism is that through interviews, people shine through and tell you their most important stories.

I recently wrote an article for the LA Daily News, which I’m freelancing for. The story was about pollution near the Van Nuys Airport and I interviewed some residents who lived right next door. I had an hour-long conversation with a mom who was worried about her kids because in the past three years, the pollution has become a lot worse. Throughout the interview, I was able to hear this complete stranger open up to me, and I was able to publish her voice. And I think that’s so impactful.

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.

Getty Images

Los Angeles parents demanded higher quality education for their children in the third year of pandemic learning, with an emphasis on recovering social-emotional and academic learning skills.

In a poll conducted in the 2021-22 school year by GPSN and the Loyola Marymount University Center for Equity for English Learners, parents expressed the need to close learning gaps caused by the pandemic with access to high quality tutoring and emotional enrichment programs. 

The poll — first conducted by GSPN on 500 LAUSD families in the 2020-21 school year — indicates the majority of Black families were not committed to keeping their students enrolled in L.A. Unified schools. 

Parents said they wanted expanded summer school instruction, more college/CTE courses and better access to high-quality tutoring programs.

“This year’s poll was an opportunity to revisit the goal of strengthening their influence on the decisions our educational leaders make about the future of students and Los Angeles schools,” the report stated. “We dove back into questions we asked the previous year to see how families’ perspectives changed after returning for a full year of in-person learning during the ongoing pandemic.”

Here are five key findings from the report:

1. Parents showed increasing support for social-emotional learning:

After a full year of pandemic learning, 47% of families reported wanting tools to meet students’ emotional and mental health needs. Last year, just 26% of families expressed interest in social-emotional learning tools.

GPSN

2. Families of color were less likely to report having access to individualized tutoring and more likely to want more tutoring:

Only 59% of families of color report having access to individualized tutoring, 18 percentage points lower than white families. Additionally, 27% of white families and an overwhelming 73% of families of color report wanting to see one-on-one tutoring provided at their school. 

GPSN

3. Black parents were less committed than other parents to keeping their kids enrolled in LA Unified schools:

When asked whether they planned to keep their children in Los Angeles Unified schools longer term, 82% of families said they were very or extremely likely to stay in the district. But there are slight differences when families of different groups are asked this question: compared to 90% of white families, only 67% of Black families were committed to staying. This news comes after LAUSD reported decreasing enrollment in its campuses, losing students who moved out of state because of the rising cost of living in California; and students switching to non-LAUSD schools with looser COVID restrictions. 

GPSN

4. Transparency on curriculum is a priority:

Across families of different income levels and racial backgrounds, there was a 22 percentage point increase in the number of families that want more access to information on what is being taught in their schools and a 13 percentage point increase in the number of families that want to see information on their child’s access and progress on grade-level, high quality curriculum. 

GPSN

5. New Superintendent Alberto Carvalho needs to be held accountable and be evaluated:

91% of families agree the superintendent should be evaluated on the new strategic plan. The plan prioritizes providing students with the support, knowledge, and skills to reach their full academic potential, graduate college and be career ready. 

GPSN

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.

Maria Brenes / innercitystruggle.org

Running as an outsider to represent predominantly low income families living in the Eastside neighborhoods of Los Angeles, Maria Brenes is determined to change what it means to be an LAUSD school board member for District 2. 

Brenes, a Harvard University graduate and executive director of Inner City Struggle, said her work with the non-profit is proof she can do a better job at sparking change than her opponent Dr. Rocio Rivas, a research and policy deputy for a sitting LAUSD board member.  

 “I have a track record of getting things done for my community and tackling some of the biggest issues that have faced LAUSD,” Brenes told LA School Report, “helping initiate actual systemic change that has made LAUSD a more equitable and responsive district.”

Brenes discussed her plans to address the major challenges LAUSD faces including funding school police, mental health supports, enrollment decline and more in an interview with LA School Report: 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve lived in District 2 for 20 years and you send your children to LAUSD schools. How are you, as a member of this community fit to represent it?

I have been a resident of the current boundaries of Board District 2 for over twenty years now…. My relationship with LAUSD is that of an outsider; being an advocate from the outside by pushing LAUSD to be more responsive and equitable to eastside communities…  Where I live education is a vehicle for upward mobility, for dismantling the school to prison pipeline, for interrupting and dismantling poverty…, Eastside students are mostly low income and many come from immigrant families…and its role as a safety net in our neighborhoods, that are facing so many challenges with housing instability.

With the recent L.A. City Hall scandal, it is evident that having people of color represent you in government does not guarantee equity to you as a constituent. What will you do to address the needs of ALL students, regardless of race and class?

I think the [what was said] in the audio leak is just shameful! I was angry, hurt and enraged, and ashamed because those were Latinx leaders that were representing our communities and the anti-Black, anti-Indigenous comments they made completely go against the values I stand for. Los Angeles is a multi-racial city and county and we have been fighting so hard to make progress and to build inclusive communities and inclusive schools. 

I had received the endorsement of Nury Martinez and Kevin de Leon prior to that day. The same day the article broke, I put out a statement denouncing, disassociating, and calling for their resignation. 

…I’m the only candidate that has this track record of building multiracial alliances…I’m out there picketing with my comrades, my multi racial allies, and my coalition, saying this is the moment for us to speak up and call for better policies and better representation. 

In an interview with LAist, you said “[LAUSD] ​​needs to continue to invest and redirect resources from surveillance and punishment to support holistic wraparound services” when asked about school police. What specific services do you have in mind? 

I’m the only candidate that has actually done anything in this race around dismantling the school to jail pipeline…First, the school to prison pipeline was an urgent issue for Inner City Struggle…, because we were the organization to uncover there were very high suspension rates in eastside schools compared to schools in more affluent areas, and it correlated with low graduation and low college going rates…. 

I’ve been at the table, helping formulate the Black Student Achievement Plan, which is now a hundred million dollars in investing in culturally relevant approaches, strategy, and social emotional learning in schools with a higher concentration of Black students. 

I’m the only candidate between the two of us that actually has a track record, has actually demonstrated solidarity with young people who have these harmful experiences, and have sometimes been told by some Board members that their truth does not matter. That’s very painful, and I will be a board member that validates, listens and takes their voices into account.

You have made many verbal commitments to students and families of LAUSD, but what about teachers? You were not endorsed by UTLA. What will you do to support teachers within the school district to keep them from leaving?

I have supported educators of LAUSD for many years. I hold them in such high esteem. LAUSD educators teach and nurture my own two children, so I’m very grateful for the work that educators do… especially in these times, with so many more challenges being exacerbated by the pandemic. I also support, and I think the public needs to support education workers as well. They’re an essential part of our school communities whether it’s an instructional aid, a teacher’s assistant, a special education assistant, a custodian, a cafeteria worker or a bus driver. They are often overlooked.

Well, I know you have the endorsements of non-educators, of labor unions, but not UTLA, LA’s largest teacher’s union. Can you tell me that you will grant the requests teachers are demanding, such as higher wages, reduced workloads and better work environments?

Yes and education workers as well. They’re valuable and their workforce is the majority. These are people of color who send their kids to LAUSD and they need stronger benefits. I am an ally to both and I do have support from LAUSD educators. You’re welcome to look at my website to see the list. These are relationships I have cultivated over the years through my work in the community. 

Enrollment decline is an urgent issue for LAUSD at the moment and you’ve said you wanted to mitigate this by focusing on middle schools. How exactly will you revamp middle schools? What are some examples of this? 

In terms of middle school, I have found that some families that I have met…are looking for more personalized environments, more stem academies, magnets, pilot school, and small learning communities. Middle school is such a critical time in the social emotional development of our students and investing more creates more options and more personalized learning. The environment, I think, is important, for District 2. One of the gaps I see is there is not enough access to K-8 models. That was something I was in search of for my own child as he entered seventh grade.

…We urgently need a state of emergency when it comes to enrollment in attendance. So many of our families were affected by COVID-19. So many families are facing issues of being on the brink of homelessness… They have not returned, and for some of our youngest, that’s where we’re seeing the greatest challenges with enrollment in attendance. So the two to me are interlinked: chronic absenteeism and enrollment. I want to declare a state of emergency for Board District 2 so that the superintendent deploys resources accordingly. 

Both Dr. Rivas and yourself agree that mental health issues in the district are important. What are your plans to address mental health?

I’m the only candidate that has a track record of doing work as it relates to mental health services. I’m proud to have pushed LAUSD to make a $50 million commitment to build 24 new wellness centers in some of our highest need schools throughout. We conducted a survey in Boyle Heights and East LA and found that depression and anxiety were issues of high importance to students. Using that student voice, we decided to push for the construction of these wellness centers. These locations are to provide comprehensive services, including mental health, dental services, primary care and reproductive services. That’s the model we need and it’s going to be accessible to students and the community.

The LA Times and La Opinion endorsed you, but UTLA did not. Why do you think UTLA endorsed Dr. Rivas over yourself? Why are you more qualified than Dr. Rivas? Why isn’t Dr. Rivas qualified? 

I am more qualified than Dr. Rocio Rivas because I have a track record of getting things done for my community and tackling some of the biggest issues that have faced LAUSD…helping initiate actual systemic change that has made LAUSD a more equitable and responsive district. That’s a big part of why in East LA we have seen better outcomes, higher graduation rates, and higher college going rates. 

Dr. Rocio Rivas does not have a track record of influencing systemic change for communities in Board District 2. She does not. I have an education. I went to UC Berkeley, I went to Harvard and got my masters in education. But that is only meaningful if I give back to my community… 

If elected, do you see your position on the LAUSD as a continuation of your work at Inner City Struggle, or will you take it as a new initiative, a new chapter in your dedication to serve East LA and the surrounding communities?

I have been an organizer since I was 17 years old. At that time, there was a strong anti-immigrant sentiment in California. Our communities were criminalized, our families were criminalized. I’m so proud to have been part of a generation that rejected criminalization and othering, and said, ‘No, this is our state. Our families have helped build this state, and we have a stake in it, and we’re going to reclaim it.’

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.

Rocio Rivas

As two LAUSD school board races headed to runoffs in Tuesday’s election, LA School Report interviewed the four candidates vying for the seats. Here is an interview with Rocio Rivas, who is running to represent school district 2 against Maria Brenes:

An established LAUSD employee and parent who is running for LA Unified school board to represent predominantly low income families from the city’s Eastside communities, Rocio Rivas intends to tackle issues the district faces using her experience as an education researcher and parent.

A parent advocate and education expert, the Berkeley and Columbia University alum is relying on her experience working for current school board member Jackie Goldberg and her leadership on neighborhood councils to guide her. 

“I know all of our schools and what is happening inside of them….I also know the roles and responsibilities of a board member because I have been working with one,” Rivas told LA School Report. “I will bring that professional experience of policy work, resolutions and breaking bureaucracy.”

Rivas said knowing those roles and responsibilities is what makes her more qualified to represent school district 2 than her opponent Maria Brenes, director of the non profit Inner City Struggle. 

In an interview with LA School Report, Rivas shared her plans for the predominantly low income communities of eastside Los Angeles on issues of enrollment decline, mental health, school policing and more: 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your relationship with LAUSD, specifically Board District 2, the area you intend to represent?

I was a student in LAUSD. I loved my education here and I had a great time. It was here that I fell in love with school and education. I went on to go to school at Berkeley and Columbia to Teacher’s College to better understand education and I came back because my purpose was always to work for the district… I worked with LAUSD doing research and program evaluation, until I decided to become a full time mom. When my son got into school, I became a parent volunteer… I became involved with schools in Board District 2 and got to know the needs of the community. 

Even after that, I wanted to help even more, so I ran for Board District 5. I ran because it was something I wanted to do. Needless to say, I didn’t win; Jackie Goldberg won. I mean, who’s gonna win against Jackie Goldberg?! Afterward, I got to know Jackie, and we hit it off. She hired me as her research and policy deputy, and that became my current connection with the district.

You’ve called yourself a parent advocate. What does that mean and how do you intend to put that into practice?

Parent advocacy is standing up for parent rights and our voices. When I first sent my son to elementary school, I felt a lot of parent voices were suppressed. We have a right to participate in our school, so I became the chair of the School Site Council and I started to hear that parents were not being heard, like the district was pushing them aside. 

So I connected with other parents and I did workshops based on our conversations. I did one on growth mindset, on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, on parent-teacher conferences and other issues.

I see parent advocacy as holding town halls, having parent engagement committees meet on Saturdays or later on weekdays when parents can attend and other changes to make everything more accessible to parents. We have to work on improving communication between parents and the school board.

With the recent L.A. City Hall scandal, it is evident that having people of color in government does not lead to equity among its constituents of color. In other words, that representation does not free citizens from oppression. What will you do to address the needs of ALL children, regardless of race and class?

I completely agree with your statement. As Latinos, as Hispanics, we wanted representatives to meet our needs, but we also know that there’s so many others that need to be served. 

I am all for intercultural understanding. That was my focus in school: comparative and international education. We need to celebrate multiculturalism in our schools. We need to have those conversations about our internal biases and talk to our representatives about their biases as well, to keep everybody accountable. In District 2 we have Japanese students, Jewish students, Armenian students and more. 

To hear that from our LA City Council representatives hurts our souls and to combat this, we need to start in our schools. I think we need to really expand the opportunities for our students to go beyond our borders and consider expanding ways for our students to study abroad. 

When asked about police in schools, in an interview with LAist you said: “I am pretty much against all police in our schools. … For the district to be spending funds that should be going to our students and using it for law enforcement, I think that’s just going backwards.” What are some things you are planning on implementing to replace policing in LAUSD schools?

There will be police, they just won’t be inside the schools, but rather outside. I think we do need to maintain safety. There was a stabbing at Marshall High School not too long ago, there’s drugs that our students are being exposed to… inside of our schools, what I really want to bring to focus on is how we’re implementing restorative justice…

There was a student in LAUSD who brought a gun to school. He said he loved his school, but the gun was to protect himself after school: he did not feel safe leaving campus. There’s fear when our children are leaving school, so we need to think about initiatives to change this, such as implementing after school programs… 

You’ve got an endorsement from UTLA, LA’s largest teacher’s union. Why are you qualified enough to receive their endorsement? What is your commitment to teachers in LAUSD? 

Growing up, teachers were my best friends and school was my second home. I consider teaching an honorable profession. I will always fight for teachers, especially right now as they’re against the deprofessionalization of their profession. Like in any profession, not all teachers are the same, they’re all different, but we have to provide support and have those infrastructures where we can deal with the issues they face.

Having the endorsement of the Teachers Union is, for me, the solidification that they have trusted me. When I’m in the classroom and they talk to me about scaffolding or backwards planning, I know exactly what they’re talking about, because I’ve learned about that. I know pedagogy.

Enrollment decline is an urgent issue for LAUSD at the moment. How will you help address this?

We need to expand programs such as dual language immersion and schools with advanced studies. Schools like Bravo Medical Magnet have long waiting lists. In communities like Glendale and Alhambra, parents are requesting dual language programs. We need to not only expand these enrichment programs, but also market them to our parents to increase enrollment.

Both Maria Brenes and yourself agree that mental health issues in the district are important, specifically the need for greener spaces on campuses usually covered in asphalt. How do you intend to make this happen? Do you have other plans to address mental health?

Greening our schools is something we need to focus on. The district is going to have a new office on climate resiliency and it will focus on this. I will be very active in that office because there’s so many schools in Board District 2 that deserve shade and gardens.

On a different note, the pandemic really changed our students. They were affected from isolation and disconnection from their friends. When schools reopened there was no motivation, there was depression, anxiety and stress. We need full time psychiatric help in each of our campuses, not just one psychiatric social worker (PSW) that has to go to three schools at once and have high caseloads.

Brenes said she is more qualified than you to serve because she lives and works in District 2. She said she has done more for District 2 than you and that she has a “proven track record” when it comes to serving this community. Brenes said this community asked her to step up and serve. What do you have to say to that?

I was also asked to run. I was. I didn’t just say I’m gonna run, I was asked to run as well, and I was asked to step up for our schools. That’s why I ran.

Who asked you to run?

Teachers, community members, people that are supporting me now that have endorsed me. They asked me to run, and so I feel like I couldn’t say no. I mean when the community is asking you to run, and they believe in you, you have to do it.

She says she knows Board District 2, but I know all of our schools and what is happening inside of them. I am an Angeleno. I know Boyle Heights and Highland Park. I also know Koreatown and Pico Union because these are my communities. I also know the roles and responsibilities of a board member because I have been working with one. I will bring that professional experience of policy work, resolutions and breaking bureaucracy … [Brenes] has pushed from the outside. I’ve been working from the outside and the inside, so I know how to organize.

I’ve been doing the research. I was out there in our communities during the pandemic, making sure everyone had hotspots and computers. These are not things that I brag about, but they’re things I’ve done and I’m very proud of… I’m not part of the political establishment;  I don’t have political aspirations. I’m here just solely for education. I’m not here to use our communities and our schools for my own aggrandizement. I’m here to fight for our communities, our schools and our teachers.

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.

Adriana Chavira (Bryan Sarabia/screenshot)

On the day she made a decision leading to suspension from her “dream” journalism teaching job at an L.A. Unified high school named for slain reporter Daniel Pearl, Adriana Chavira had no second thoughts and taught her classes as usual.

But the chain of events stemming from publication of a November, 2021 student newspaper article was already in motion, turning Chavira’s journalism post at the Daniel Pearl Magnet High School into a nightmare.

After her students published the name of the school’s librarian who refused the COVID vaccine, school administrators demanded the staffer’s name be removed. Chavira, a former journalist, refused, leading to an unpaid three day suspension.

“It never dawned on me to not publish her name, it took us a while to get that story published because we wanted to make sure everything was correct,” Chavira told LA School Report. “As far as I can remember, we never had a conversation about whether or not to publish the name.”

On a typical day Chavira — who has since been reinstated after LAUSD officials rescinded the suspension — helps edit stories, asks students what sources they are reaching out to and oversees the publications of the school’s student-run news website. 

“It’s a dream school for anyone who teaches journalism; it’s all I teach,” Chaivra said. “I teach the classes that produce our yearbook, news magazine and website. I help kids write, produce videos, edit photos, all of that. So to me, it’s a dream job. I’m just doing journalism the whole day with the kids.”

In an interview with LA School Report, Chavira discusses the ten-month ordeal: 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Your foundation, the beginning of your career, was in journalism. What was the motivation behind that? Why did you choose to become a journalist?

I knew since the eighth grade that I wanted to go into journalism. I was a good writer and I like writing, so I really enjoyed it. My family was always big on keeping up with the news. We watched the four o’clock news in English, then the six o’clock news in Spanish. My dad brought home La Opinion every day. We talked a lot about news and the importance of staying aware of what was happening. So I decided to pursue journalism. In college I majored in journalism and I wrote for the school newspaper for two semesters. After I graduated, I was working at daily newspapers for ten years before I decided to leave journalism. And I somehow fell into teaching.

Was there a reason why you wanted to go into teaching? Or was it a spontaneous decision?

After 10 years in journalism I was not happy anymore. I started thinking about what else I could do. I volunteered with CCNMA (now Latino Journalists of California) in summer workshops where journalists would work with high school students for two weeks and show them how to report. The kids would produce stories, a newspaper, stuff like that. I really enjoyed that, so I thought, “maybe I can go into teaching and be a journalism teacher.” At about the same time LAUSD had a program that helped people who were changing careers. So I got hired to teach full time while going to get my teaching credentials in the evenings. It was just kind of perfect timing to make the transition.

Is there a special approach you take when teaching young journalists? Maybe a piece of advice or wisdom you pass on to your students?

I just try to get them out of their comfort zone. They come in as ninth graders, they’re intimidated about having to approach people and interview them, take their photo. As they grow, they gain more self confidence and by their senior year they’re leading the class in presentations and stuff like that. I love to see how they get out of their comfort zone and grow as individuals.

Take me to the day this article was published, before the whirlwind of events that happened. Did you take a final look at the story before it was published? Was there a moment of hesitation where someone or yourself may have said, ‘maybe we shouldn’t publish this person’s name’?

No, I don’t think that ever happened. I think it was more making sure everything in the article was accurate. The mandate happened sometime in the middle of October. Starting on that particular day, anyone on staff or faculty that was not vaccinated had to be off campus. So right away the kids found out about that. One of my editors was a TA for the teacher-librarian, so right away she knew why her teacher was not there. We had that information that same day, but it took the kids a while to do the reporting, the double-checking, trying to contact anyone they could to get them on the record. They did contact the librarian a few times, there was an exchange of emails with her. She obviously didn’t want to be interviewed. It never dawned on me to not publish her name, it took us a while to get that story published because we wanted to make sure everything was correct. As far as I can remember, we never had a conversation about whether or not to publish the name. It was more about asking the kids, “double check on that,” “are you sure you know that?” “you know she’s not vaccinated?”

Why did you feel like revealing her name was important? What was the significance of this?

Like most publications, my students covered everything from the pandemic. Just because the students weren’t in the school during distance learning doesn’t mean the students didn’t report on what was happening regarding COVID-19. During remote learning the students reported on mental health issues, how some students struggled with learning during that time, they reported on academics, on how they missed sports and how they missed social interactions. When the students returned to campus, they covered kids getting their weekly PCR tests. They wrote about kids getting vaccinated because our campus offered it. The kids took photos of other students getting vaccinated. So to us, this was just another angle to the pandemic coverage as a whole.

Your administrators were the first to give you push back on this article. As a teacher, how did that make you feel?

I never really had anyone before tell me to take something down. I’ve had principals where maybe they didn’t agree with the angle students covered something, but they never said to take anything down to make the school look better. I never got anything like that. So I was surprised that my principal would say that. I replied that we were not taking it down. By that time the students and I had already met with someone from the Student Press Law Center. The attorney assured the kids they were in the right: the story we published was newsworthy. We also talked about California Ed Code 48907. (Note: The law protects student journalists from censorship.) So I said to the principal, “I’m not taking it down and these are the reasons why.” But my administration just kept going and going. At one point they opened an investigation on me because they thought I was the one who revealed the vaccination status of the librarian to the kids. I didn’t even know anything about her; I didn’t really talk to her, so it wasn’t coming from me. The investigation concluded and they said there was no wrongdoing. So when they continued with the whole censorship issue, I was taken aback that they were still going on.

What was going through your mind when you were given your suspension?

I didn’t think this was going to be that bad, I didn’t think they were going to get to that point. I was surprised. It was unexpected that they would think of suspending me. It was in May that I learned I was going to be suspended. In June, right before summer break, they were supposed to tell me when and how long the suspension would be, but that was delayed until fall. The whole summer I knew I was going to get suspended but I didn’t know when or how long. One thing that many people don’t realize is that, let’s say they suspended me, but I came back and the information would still be on the website because I was not going to take it down. The district could have moved to fire me if they wanted to and that was definitely not something I was prepared for.

Did you feel your job was on the line?

Definitely yes.

And did you feel like both of these issues, COVID-19 vaccinations and the censorship of journalists, were important enough to risk your job?

Definitely yes. The thought of losing my job is something that definitely hurts. But I was willing to risk it. I was willing to risk it because as journalists, we’re standing up serving as a watchdog for the government, but all of the sudden here’s the government that you’re looking over telling you what to do. I mean, that’s totally against our values. I knew all along that I was right. We have a section in the California Ed Code that is backing us. In fact, one of my journalism mentors from when I first started was one of the ones who pushed for that legislation to pass. So I was very aware of that. There was no way I was going to back down because I knew I was right. The district was wrong, my principal was wrong. I’m actually surprised that no one from their legal offices stopped and asked, “Okay, what are we doing? This is wrong.”

I’ve noticed others have likened this situation to the story of David vs. Goliath. Did you feel like David going into the LAUSD Board meeting? What was going through your mind during this moment?

I didn’t feel like that. Yes, LAUSD is the second largest school district in the country, but that didn’t intimidate me. I was just standing up for my students and their story. I wanted to educate those in that room that there was an Ed Code they were violating. There’s also the first amendment. The district was violating all of that. 

Greta Enszer was your school’s librarian and your colleague. Don’t you think that she may be entitled to privacy concerning her bodily autonomy and her personal medical decisions?

The district is the one who, for lack of a better word, outed her. There were (nearly 500) people in the district who were pulled from their campuses. Not all of them were fired. Some are still with the district as far as I know…I think this is a public safety issue because you have people getting COVID, even as we’re back in the classroom. At the time we were getting spikes in the number of cases and we had students who lost family members to COVID. On top of that, we’re a small school of about 220 students and 14 faculty members. So when someone is not there, the kids definitely notice. Everyone sees everyone and knows their business. Plus, she openly talked about it in her class to the students. I never personally sat in one of her classes to hear her say that, but it was no secret, at least not among the kids.

You’ve had your suspension rescinded recently and you are back in the classroom. How do you think this story, which ends in your victory, will impact your students? What do you hope they can learn from this?

We had this conversation earlier this week. My students feel empowered knowing that their voice matters and they are being heard. I have one student who is very passionate about journalism and she said this reaffirmed that this is what she wants to pursue as a career. One of the first things the kids learn is to make sure they are reporting accurately. Now they know they shouldn’t shy away from anything controversial. This experience is not going to self-censor them. We talked about how they will cover the stories that reflect their community and they’re not going to back down just because it’s going to make the school look bad.

With your story being picked up by several major publications, how do you feel now after everything has happened? And is there something you’re looking forward to in the future?

I was definitely surprised at how big the story was. I knew being suspended for refusing to censor students at a journalism school named after Daniel Pearl, who was killed while reporting, was a story. I just didn’t think it was going to get this much public support. One thing I do want, and this is why I stuck to my guns, is to make sure that other journalism advisors do not give in. California has laws that protect journalism advisors and their students. I want to make sure no other administrators go up to their teachers and pressure them to take any publications down because ‘it will make the school look bad.’ Most of all, I want students to feel empowered. I want to make sure they’re doing good reporting and telling stories in their community and to not feel bullied or penalized by their administrators. I want students to realize that they do have rights, and that they should stand up for themselves.

This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Bryan Sarabia is a junior at the University of Southern California, originally from Houston, Texas. He is majoring in journalism and Spanish.