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Tustin Unified School District recall, California (2021-2022)
| Tustin Unified School District recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Lynn Davis Jonathan Stone |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall three of the five members of the Tustin Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote. Recall supporters did not file petitions by the deadline on January 25, 2022.[1]
The recall effort began in August 2021. Trustee Area 1 representative Allyson Damikolas, Trustee Area 3 representative Lynn Davis, and Trustee Area 4 representative Jonathan Stone were named in the petitions.[2]
Recall supporters listed teaching critical race theory (CRT), advocating for explicit sex education, accepting campaign donations from the teacher's union, declining student test scores, and promoting violence through social media accounts as the reasons for the recall efforts.[3] District spokesman Matthew Jennings said the district had an ethnic studies curriculum but that it did not include critical race theory.[4]
The Republican Party of Orange County voted unanimously to pass a resolution in favor of the recall effort in September 2021.[5]
Both Damikolas and Stone were first elected to the board in the general election on November 3, 2020. Damikolas received 49% of the vote, defeating incumbent Tammie Bullard and one other candidate. Stone was elected automatically after the general election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Davis began serving on the board in 2002. He won re-election automatically after the general election scheduled for November 6, 2018, was canceled due to lack of opposition.
Recall supporters
Arguments for recall against Damikolas
On their website, recall supporters published the following reasons for the recall against Damikolas:[3]
| “ |
For the continued promulgation of CRT - a teaching practice that promotes racial based division among students. For advocating for explicit sex education without parental oversight or consent. For accepting thousands of dollars from the TUSD teacher’s union – a severe conflict of interest.[6] |
” |
Arguments for recall against Davis
Recall supporters published the following reasons for the recall against Davis:[3]
| “ |
For the severe decline of student test scores – specifically in low income areas. For the teaching of CRT – a teaching practice that promotes racial based division aroung students.[6] |
” |
Arguments for recall against Stone
Recall supporters published the following reasons for the recall against Stone:[3]
| “ | For promotion of violence in the name of his politics through his praise of Antifa and violent political cartoons that have since been deleted from his social media accounts.[6] | ” |
Recall opponents
District spokesman Matthew Jennings said the district had an ethnic studies curriculum but that it did not include critical race theory. He said the district's ethnic studies program "is an inclusive interdisciplinary curriculum that develops critical thinking skills to nurture an understanding of social and cultural attitudes in the United States. It celebrates the cultural wealth and contribution of the people in our country. It is not a divisive curriculum and does not focus on any race as oppressed or oppressed [sic]."[4]
Jennings also said, "The TUSD Board of Education actively protects the right to free speech and the public’s ability to interact and engage with elected board members. The TUSD Board of Education takes public input very seriously and with great consideration."[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recall supporters served the notices of intent to recall at a board meeting on August 23, 2021.[2] To get the recall on the ballot, supporters would have had to collect signatures by January 25, 2022.[1]
About the district
Tustin Unified School District is located in Orange County, California. It is classified as a small city school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 23,749 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 29 schools.[7]
During the 2018-2019 school year, 38.9% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 16.2% were English language learners, and 10.2% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[8]
| Racial Demographics, 2018-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Tustin Unified School District (%) | California K-12 students (%) |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | N/A | 0.5 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 21.7 | 11.7 |
| Black | 1.7 | 5.4 |
| Hispanic | 46.5 | 54.6 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | N/A | 0.5 |
| Two or More Races | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| White | 25.1 | 22.9 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
2022 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 54 school board recall efforts against 123 board members in 2022. Recall elections against school board members were held on January 11, 2022, January 18, 2022, January 24, 2022, February 15, 2022, March 29, 2022, April 4, 2022, and November 8, 2022. The school board recall success rate was 7.3%.
The chart below details the status of 2022 recall efforts by individual school board member.
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
- Tustin Unified School District, California
- Tustin Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
- Tustin Unified School District elections (2018)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Tustin Unified School District
- Orange County Registrar of Voters
- Recall TUSD website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daily Pilot, "Latina school board trustee in Tustin puts failed recall bid behind her," February 24, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Epoch Times, "Three Tustin Unified School Board Members Served Recall Notices," August 25, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Recall TUSD, "Home," accessed October 20, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Nation World News, "Three Tustin Unified School Board members served recall notices," August 25, 2021
- ↑ Voice of OC, "Placentia-Yorba Linda School Board May Ban Critical Race Theory After State Mandates Ethnic Studies," October 19, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
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