Embattled SFUSD superintendent gets earful from Harvey Milk parents, kids

Embattled San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Matt Wayne arrived at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro on Wednesday for an "information session," and to answer questions about the school's proposed closure and merger with Sanchez Elementary.

And Wayne, who has been strongly criticized in recent days by the mayor, the school board, and every major mayoral candidate, did not receive a respite.

He was confronted outside the school by a loud crowd of teachers, staff, parents, students, alumni, and supporters pressuring him to keep the school, one of 11 on the chopping block, open.

"We Love Our School" and "Save Harvey Milk" were written on handmade signs and writing slogans carried by students and staff rallying shortly after the end of the school day — the second such rally at Harvey Milk in just a week. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the drag queen troupe, and other supporters filled the street to listen to angry speakers' impassioned praise of the school and its teachers.

Harvey Milk, located at 19th Street in the Castro, is one of 11 San Francisco public schools that have been proposed for possible closure or merger, according to a list published earlier this month by Mission Local and verified by SFUSD.

The small Castro school is one of the only schools in the district to offer a civil rights curriculum and one of the few with numerous gender non-conforming bathrooms. One parent described it as a "safe haven" for LGBTQIA+ students, and many said they were worried about losing their community.

Iris Tarou, the mother of a gender-nonconforming student, explained of her child, "They came out at school before anywhere else, because this school is genuinely inclusive of everybody. Other schools and other places might say that they are, but I know that there is a difference at this school. It has profoundly impacted us as a family."

"All schools are special," said Monica Becker, who used to drive her children a long distance from their neighborhood to attend Harvey Milk., "But this is a really special place. To have this place sitting empty would be [harmful to] LGBT rights."

As Wayne and his staff arrived for the meeting, parents and a handful of students filed into the school auditorium, prepared with a list of questions sent to the district last weekend.

The superintendent began with an overview of what parents and staff had heard before: That small class sizes, under-enrollment, and failure to meet nebulous criteria listed in the school's "composite score" had led to placing Harvey Milk on the closures list.

Met with shouts of "Liar!" and boos from the audience, Wayne opened a contentious question and answer session. Audience members asked about the failure of his staff to answer their previously emailed questions, what protections Sanchez would offer for LGBT students, the reasons for low enrollment, and the one hour and forty minute change in starting time at Sanchez Elementary — 9:30 a.m. at Harvey Milk vs. 7:50 a.m. at Sanchez.

Wayne largely remained silent, referred questions to his staff, or promised to follow up.

Before Wayne and his staff headed to their next information session at Sutro Elementary — where another rally was planned to protest Sutro's potential closure — he addressed the crowd. "This will inform any final recommendation," said Wayne, to shouts of protest. "The key takeaway is that you love your school and don't want it to close."