SF school board takes community temperature after anti-Asian American tweets by panel's VP surface
The elected council is forced to grapple with another scandal
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After multiple lawsuits challenging the San Francisco School Board’s failure to reopen schools, a resignation by the superintendent, and a recall effort against several officials, the board is now facing growing cries for the removal of Vice President Alison Collins after anti-Asian American tweets resurfaced last week.
Tuesday's School Board meeting was the first since the 2016 tweets were reshared on social media, and members of the community were allowed to comment on the growing calls for Collins' resignation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One San Francisco teacher called the fierce backlash towards the mixed-race vice president, tantamount to "a public lynching," reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Black people have disproportionately been tried and held guilty without due process," teacher Rori Abernethy reportedly told the board.
"When Black people see that people of color are not allowed the same justice, there will be no peace," she said. "If you railroad without the due process ... there will be no peace in San Francisco."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Supporters of Collins alleged the calls for her removal were "opportunistic" and a part of a broader "political agenda," reported the local publication – though the supporters did not expand on their claims.
Collins’ tweets have been met with widespread demands for her resignation, including by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, along with city and school board officials.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News could not immediately reach the San Francisco School Board for comment on Collins’ removal from office, but she has defended her comments, saying they were "taken out of context."
"I acknowledge that right now, in this moment, my words taken out of context can be causing more pain for those who are already suffering," Collins said in a statement. "For the pain my words may have caused I am sorry, and I apologize unreservedly."
Collins’ tweets, which condemned the Asian community for not speaking out enough against anti-Black racism, come as the board is grappling with negative backlash for allegedly prioritizing racial equity over getting kids back in the classroom.
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Earlier this year, the city of San Francisco sued the Board of Education and the San Francisco Unified School District in an attempt to force them to devise a plan on reopening schools.
In early March, the board dropped their costly attempt to rename 44 schools they believed were racist, including institutions named after George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, to focus on getting schools reopened.