SF Board of Education Approves Equity Audit

Press Release

San Francisco (February 10, 2021) - The San Francisco Board of Education voted 5-2 for an equity audit led by community leaders and to use the regular admissions process for SFUSD comprehensive high schools for future admissions to Lowell High School. 

The resolution, “In Response to Ongoing, Pervasive Systemic Racism at Lowell High School,” was authored by Board President Gabriela Lopez, Vice President Alison M. Collins, Commissioner Matt Alexander, and Student Delegates Shavonne Hines-Foster and Kathya Correa Almanza. 

The resolution calls on the SF Board of Education to initiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) process with the Education and Civil Rights Initiative (CRI) of the University of Kentucky College of Education, Lexington KY, in collaboration with the SF NAACP, California NAACP and National NAACP to facilitate the creation of a Community Coalition to define and oversee an equity audit and resulting action plan to “address the exclusion and ongoing toxic racist abuse that students of color, and specifically Black students, have experienced at Lowell High School since the school’s creation.” The Community Coalition will be comprised of the SFUSD Black Student Union leaders, SFUSD African American Parent Advisory Council, the SF Alliance of Black School Educators, and other alumni, anti-racist educators, students, and community leaders.

Per the resolution, students applying to Lowell will use the application form used for SFUSD’s comprehensive high schools indefinitely. For many years the SFUSD has used grade point average and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) scores from a student’s 7th grade and the first semester of 8th grade as factors in determining admission offers to Lowell High School. 

“We must recognize the need for a culture shift in our schools and address racism. This resolution comes after years of advocacy from students and community members. Led and supported by our students, it reflects our collaboration with numerous outside partners and creates a community coalition, including an external mechanism for accountability,” said Board President Gabriela Lopez. 

Read the resolution here.

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