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Diane Summers recall, Fallbrook Union High School District, California (2021)
| Fallbrook Union High School District recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Diane Summers from her position on the Fallbrook Union High School District board of trustees in California did not go to a vote in 2021. Recall supporters submitted 801 signatures by the filing deadline on September 23, 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, they needed 5,652 signatures from registered voters in the school district.[1][2]
Recall supporters started the recall process after the board voted on March 29, 2021, to return students to in-person instruction for two half-days a week. They said they believed the board's vote widened the divide between affluent students and minority students. Prior to the board's vote, the elementary and middle schools in Fallbrook, which were part of a different school district, had returned students to in-person instruction five days per week, according to Village News. Students in the Fallbrook Union High School District started the 2020-2021 school year in online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
In response to the reaction to the board's vote, Summers said, "It is much less likely that young children have even become infected and therefore, less likely to transmit the virus, although there are some cases. Because of these facts, the County Health Department has allowed our elementary schools to open sooner."[3]
Summers was elected to a four-year term on the five-member board in 2018.[4]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
Recall supporters said Summers failed to "act in the best interest of the students and constituents of the Fallbrook Union High School District" by:[3]
- limiting in-person instruction to two half-days a week despite state and county guidance allowing for full-time in-person instruction,
- improperly notifying the public about special and emergency meetings,
- "hindering, ignoring and mocking public comments,"
- lacking clear communication, and
- "not requiring board members to recuse themselves when they have a conflict of interest in voting on financial matters involving pay raises and pension funding."
"As the students in our town are suffering, our school board continues to plow ahead with their own selfish goals, under the guidance of Diane Summers," Heidi Roderick, parent of two students in the district, said. "Grades have plummeted, and mental health has suffered. Diane Summers continues to disregard her elected duty of getting the students back into the best learning environment allowed. If President Summers is not recalled, the future of our children will continue to be in jeopardy."[3]
Recall opponents
Summers published the following response to the recall effort in the Village News on April 21, 2021.[5]
| “ | The COVID-19 global pandemic has given everybody many challenges, especially those responsible for our students, teachers, and staff at our schools. As a board of five trustees for FUHSD, we have had to consider many aspects concerning reopening schools.
Because the health and safety of students, teachers, and staff is most important, as a public institution, we must follow the science as reflected in the guidelines set by the State of California and the San Diego County Health Board and Department of Education. Failure to do this is illegal and basically irresponsible to the welfare of everyone in our community. Some wonder why the elementary schools in Fallbrook were open before the high schools. According to medical experts, this was required because older kids, many of whom are the size of adults, have the same breath capacity as adults and therefore older kids have a greater likelihood of passing on the virus to others. It is much less likely that young children have even become infected and therefore, less likely to transmit the virus, although there are some cases. Because of these facts, the County Health Department has allowed our elementary schools to open sooner. Even as we experience some improved conditions, we remain in a state of uncertainty, and it will be some time before many details concerning reopening will make us all feel comfortable again. The Fallbrook High School District has been very diligent to listen respectfully to every one of the community’s concerns. Be assured that our teachers have been working extremely hard to provide hybrid learning to all the students in our district. All California state funds provided to aid us in the pandemic have been used for materials and supplies needed and for training our teachers and staff as we transition back to campus learning. Our administrators, maintenance staff, food distribution and technical departments have been tremendous examples of what to do to serve the public while following medical science to the best of their ability. We ask everyone to contact the District office directly for any concerns. Rest assured that your Board of Trustees for Fallbrook’s high schools remain committed to having our schools come back better than ever! Diane Summers President, Fallbrook Union High School District[6] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
The notice of intent to recall Summers was filed on April 6, 2021. Summers had 10 days to file a response to the notice, and recall supporters had 10 days to file the recall petition.[3] The San Diego County Registrar of Voters approved the recall petition for circulation in May 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to file 5,652 signatures from registered voters in the school district by September 23, 2021. The number of signatures was equal to 20% of registered voters in the district.[2]
Recall supporters submitted the petitions by the deadline. The county had until November 3, 2021, to verify the signatures.[7] The county notified recall supporters on October 12, 2021, that they had received 801 signatures, which was not enough to put the recall on the ballot.[1]
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
2021 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.
The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Fallbrook Union High School District, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Fallbrook Union High School District
- San Diego County Registrar of Voters
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Antonia Hutzell, San Diego County Registrar of Voters Public Relations Coordinator," November 4, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Village News, "Signature gathering approved to recall FUHSD board president," June 2, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Village News, "Notice of Intention to Recall paperwork filed against FUHSD board president," April 15, 2021
- ↑ Fallbrook Union High School District, "Board Members," accessed June 8, 2021
- ↑ Village News, "Managing COVID-19: Opening Fallbrook Union High School District," April 21, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Village News, "Campaign to recall high school board president likely falls short," October 1, 2021
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