Graciela Cruz joined Padres Unidos, Mejores Escuelas (Parents United, Better Schools) because of problems at her daughter’s school. The drinking fountains “made children sick” and her daughter couldn’t bring textbooks home to study, she recalls. “One day I went to pick her up and she was holding a book. (Then) the teacher comes out and practically tears it from her hands. Why take away a book that could help her?”

“I was very worried because my son’s classroom had so many children,” says mom Elvira Godiñez. Her son was also in a special math class because “he struggles a lot,” but when Godiñez visited, “he was doing nothing. The teacher said it was a free day. I immediately took him (back) to his regular class, where they were doing math.”

“For many years, parents in Huron have seen children’s success jeopardized by unqualified teachers and unsafe school conditions,” says Monica Itzel Henestroza, policy advocate for Public Advocates. Parents talked with teachers and principals over the years, “but faced bureaucratic resistance,” she adds.

Then parents formed Padres Unidos, Mejores Escuelas and—with support from Public Advocates and the Latino Issues Forum—successfully pushed the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District to begin fixing the problems. Key strategies included:

• Inspecting schools: Cruz and other parents “conducted multiple inspections of local schools, flagging any inadequate conditions” such as mold and unusable bathrooms, says Henestroza. “We took samples of the water and had them inspected. The chemicals they found were very high—a lot of chlorine, lead, and iron. I was frightened,” says Cruz.
  
  
• Meeting with school officials: Parents met with the district superintendent and school principals, testified at school board meetings, and filed complaints using the process set up by the 2004 Williams v. California court settlement, which established minimum standards for school quality. “No one wanted to listen to me until I joined PUME,” recalls Godiñez.
  
  
• Speaking out: Parents held a press conference in March, attracting media attention to the educational problems. Parents “were able to get it out in the open and make (the school district) listen,” says school board member Dolores Silva. “They were brilliant!”
  
  
• Supporting parents: Public Advocates and Latino Issues Forum provided support and guidance, including trainings on parents’ rights, child care, transportation, and translation.

Getting results

So far, the district has:

• Cleaned student bathrooms
• Increased the water pressure in drinking fountains—and plans to request emergency funds to fix the water pipes.
• Enrolled staff in professional development courses
• Made sure students can take textbooks home.

Next steps

PUME also plans to tackle problems with school transportation, adult education, and English language learning, as well as pushing for a new high school. Meanwhile, they are pressuring the city to improve water quality.

“The district didn’t begin to make changes until the people rose up,” says Cruz. “Working with mothers in the community, I realized that even if they’re not your children or your sister’s children, they still deserve to be protected and given the chance to succeed.”

• Public Advocates: 916-442-3385