Teachers regularly allow ex-students to attack alumni with slurs and insults
By John Geluardi
The Tamalpais Union High School District is continuing is underhanded tactics in the process to rename Sir Francis Drake High School. The most recent trick they’ve used is sabotaging a survey that sought the opinion of parents in the district.
At an early meeting of the Drake Leadership Council (DLC), an 18-member body consisting of teachers, parents and students, a conscientious student suggested surveying the students to see if there was strong support for the renaming of the school. A perfectly reasonable suggestion. In addition, the student had diligently researched how a survey could be carried out easily, quickly and at little expense.
But to the student’s surprise, at least three teachers on the DLC shut her idea down. “I don’t need to know what a bunch of sentimental conservatives think,” said Drama teacher Jasper Thelin said. Another teacher, Richard Marshall said this is not a democratic process and he had already made his mind up how he would vote and it doesn’t matter what the white students think.
Despite the teachers’ attempt to shutdown the survey, there was enough support on the DLC to seek public opinion in some form. They decided on a limited survey that would be sent out students, parents and teachers.
The limited survey was sent out on Monday, Nov. 16 and the school and Principal Liz Seabury immediately shut the parent survey down.
“I hope the alumni concern for HS 1327/Drake continues past this into what really matter at the school… becoming an antiracist school AND community. We’ll see in time,” Seabury wrote in a response to community member Brad Beedle who is a member of the “No Name Change” alumni group.
The email suggests that Seabury believes the entire Drake community is racist though she offered no explanation for such a hostile and unfair claim. Seabury did not respond to emails asking for clarification.
Putting the kibosh on the survey is the latest trick the Drake administration and the school district has used to power through its agenda and deprive the DLC of relevant information as they wrestle with a serious decision that will have significant consequences on the school’s budget, community trust, good faith support and school programs, many of which are designed to close Drake’s conspicuous achievement gap, which Drake teachers are unable or unwilling to discuss for undisclosed reasons.
The name change process is a case in point. The school administration has unnecessarily divided the community with its lack of transparency, arbitrary actions, spending of thousands of dollars on controversial project that is not even approved and a pattern of intimidation in which community members are regularly subjected to, without basis, vile accusation of racism, white supremacy, and agism which has resulted in students and community members being fearful of district and administration retaliation.
The next meeting of the Drake Leadership Council is this Thursday, Nov. 19 at 4 pm. There will be an opportunity to address the DLC. Please see the Sir Francis Drake High School calendar for details.
The Braying Dog 