Faith Ringgold Elementary closure

A retired educator and neighborhood resident urged the council to help keep Faith Ringgold Elementary open, stressing the school's special needs students.

A parent advocate for three years, she argued the school district violated state law AB 1912 by failing to publish the required equity impact analysis metrics before voting to close the school.

A student who said closing his school would throw away his effort, separate him from friends, and take away a teacher he loves.

Speaking in Spanish and English, she said families got only three weeks' notice, the district has no transition plan, no transportation will be provided, and enrollment and test scores have actually been rising.

Speaking in Spanish, she asked the council to help the immigrant community, noting many mothers have no car and depend on the neighborhood school where the principal knows each child by name.

A mother of a TK student, she said her daughter is thriving in small classes and cried when she learned of the closure; she also cited the district's legal obligation under AB 1912 to gather community input.