SAN JOSE — After a respected principal took the unusual step of publicly accusing his boss of demoting him because he is an Asian immigrant, the Santa Clara County Office of Education is investigating complaints of racial discrimination and intimidation at its continuation schools.
At a meeting earlier this year of the education office’s board, Snell Community School Principal David Wong said that Alternative Education Director Yvette Irving “believes that my Asian immigrant background pales in comparison to that of other minorities and is a challenge to my ability to work effectively with our staff and students.”
Irving, who has been on the job for three years, denies the charges. As a Latina, she said, “I take pride in my ability to support students, my staff and community.”
But since Wong’s public complaint in March, current and past employees have come out in support of him and accused Irving of retaliating against those she dislikes and forcing out non-Latino teachers and principals. Office of Education spokesman Ken Blackstone said the office is investigating the complaints.
The recent accusations are the latest controversy to hit the Alternative Education Department, where over the years teachers and aides have complained of chaos on campuses, lack of safety measures and purported harassment by administrators. In one case, the county office settled a retaliation complaint from a whistleblower teacher ousted three years ago and paid about $5,000 in compensation.
The department serves about 330 of the county’s neediest youth — those who have been expelled from their home schools or are in trouble with the law.
Wong has not responded to multiple requests from this newspaper for comment and has taken a medical leave of absence.
But Wong told the board his boss has assailed “white-privileged staff” — which apparently includes Asians — a claim Irving also denied.
One Latino teacher — who feared repercussions if identified — told this newspaper, “If you’re non-Hispanic in that organization right now, it’s really not good.” For instance, Irving will speak to groups in Spanish, not acknowledging the presence or needs of non-Spanish speakers, the teacher said.
“It’s a little offensive, in your face,” the teacher said.
Irving admitted she spoke Spanish at some meetings but denied any effort to exclude employees. “I speak Spanish when it’s most effective, when it’s specific to the context and content,” she said, “We work to be inclusive, not exclusive.”
Employees say that Irving unfairly targeted Wong by withholding needed support for the school. Snell, like other continuation schools, faces the daily challenge of keeping at bay the anger, violence and drugs that envelop its students. Employees say they pleaded for Irving to help manage the volatile campus, but their requests, even for a security officer, were unheeded until early this year. After a student brawl last fall, Irving reportedly told staff, “if teachers can’t handle it, they need to move on and do something else.”
Asked about that statement, Irving said she couldn’t remember saying it.
Teachers said that Wong was thrust into the middle of the department’s risky plan to consolidate two schools last fall. Blending students from the former Sunol School with those at Snell was a recipe for violence and turmoil among rival gang members, several current and former employees said. The move came after the county Office of Education terminated its security contract with the San Jose Police Department and provided no safety officer at Snell.
Still, “David kept everyone safe. He stayed on staff about enforcing rules, made clear what expectations were. He did a phenomenal job with the circumstances we had,” said an employee who feared being named. During Wong’s tenure, “No staff and no students were injured on campus.”
Instead of being credited for keeping a lid on Snell, Wong learned in March he would be reassigned next year as a school psychologist. He went on leave.
About a month later, a Snell student assaulted a teacher trying to break up a fight between students. During the April 14 altercation, police said, the 16-year-old student punched the teacher hard enough to require medical attention and keep the teacher off work for a week. The student, who is not being identified because he is a minor, ran off and has not been found. Employees say the assault highlights the hazards at the schools and the risk that comes with their jobs.
Wong “is an honest administrator who deals fairly with his staff and all the students he works with,” said Earl Thaxton, an Alternative Education teacher and president of the teachers union at the county Office of Education, who acknowledged that racial strife has been an issue at schools.
Wong, 56, has been an educator for 32 years, 13 with the county Office of Education. Before being sent to Snell, he was a principal at Osborne School in Juvenile Hall, where teachers credit him for improving operations.
Many current and former employees feel so vulnerable to retaliation — an unwanted transfer, a negative review or a denial of a promotion or new job — that they hesitate to speak out about their own experiences.
“I’m here for those too afraid,” one ex-employee, Scott Guagliardo, told the school board. The Alternative Education schools, he said, have become hostile, racially biased places.
County Office of Education Superintendent Jon Gundry said, “I haven’t seen evidence that people need to feel afraid.” Alternative ed teachers are a tough and devoted bunch, one still-fearful former Snell teacher said, but “you endure the most vicious mental and verbal abuse from kids,” many of them the victims of violence and neglect. “It’s bad enough to take it from the students.,” he said. “But to take it from the administration too is just too much.”
Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/noguchionk12.
