PERB Rejects LAUSD Request For Injunction To Stop Planned Teacher "Late Sign-In" Tomorrow

children protesting candy bar price increase, May 1, 1947.

An LAUSD attempt at blocking tomorrow's slated "Late Sign-In/Protest Walk" failed as the Public Employees Relations Board (PERB) turned down LAUSD’s request to go to court to prohibit UTLA from their planned action tomorrow.

Many schools have sent out email blasts, or pre-recorded phone blasts to LAUSD parents informing them that they expect all children in school during the time of the action. Parents, however, have expressed a desire to keep their children with them to stand along side their teachers in a show of support. Teachers are also encouraging parents to talk about the walk with their children and many support the decision of parents to have children participate.

As a parent, I plan to have my 7 year-old daughter walk along side both me and her teacher. It's never too early to instill a sense of civic duty and responsibility to speak out by participating in acts of peaceful civil disobedience. Yay Kid Power! I'm just hoping her fellow First Graders don't get all militant and crazy and the riot police need to be sent in to control them.

While not entirely a fan of UTLA (I've seen how the most horrible, traumatizing teachers are protected and am not happy with that system), I will, however support them in this action tomorrow.

I'm also excited at the prospect of parents coming together and talking and planning what the next steps for our school should be.

At our elementary school, we'll be losing a kinder classroom; our wonderful Literacy and Math Coaches are not coming back in the fall (man, those two staff cuts hurt more than you'll ever know...) and if more children enroll in the summer, we face the possibility of grade level-split classes (eg. a K-1st grade split, or a 1st grade - 2nd grade split).

The true "neighborhood" schools which are highest performing, non Title I, are being hammered the hardest with the budget cuts.

Way to punish the Shining Stars of the district.

But don't worry ... the parents of LAUSD are just beginning to learn how to howl, and hopefully, tomorrow will give them just a taste of what we can do when we come together for a greater cause, and for the parents of LAUSD, there is no greater cause than our children.

See you on the "Late Sign-In" picket line tomorrow morning!


Please send coffee.