Thursday, July 16 | Volume 40 No.18

WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

Asm. Corey Jackson Pushes to Remove Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Parents and Family Reunification

At the beginning of the current legislative session in January, Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) set out on a mis- sion.

His goal was to reform California laws that automatically bar parents with violent felony convictions from receiving child-welfare re- unification services -- a term used in the child welfare system to describe support programs designed to safely return children to their bio- logical parents or legal guardians.

Jackson, a member of the California Legis- lative Black Caucus (CLBC), introduced As- sembly Bill (AB) 1201, legislation he wrote to end the way criminal records permanently separate families.

On June 23, AB 1201, the "ReUNITY Act,"

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with an 11-2 vote. The bill has now advanced to the Appropriations Committee for review. "Too much of our justice system is now au- tomated, meaning a judge cannot make a case- by-case decision," Jackson told California Black Media (CBM). "When a parent has paid their debt to society, because of their criminal record they are unable to reunify with their children even though they pose no threat to them."

Jackson continued, “In many cases, keeping a child away from their parent is actually doing much more harm."

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Advocacy Groups Call for LAUSD Investigation Over Alleged Racism, Retaliation Against Black Educators

• END RACISM.
• SCHOOL DISTRICT
• END
• ETALIATION.
• ALL EDUCATORS MATTER
• KCAL NEWS

The Black Educator Advocates Network (BEAN) and the NAACP San Fernando Val- ley Branch are calling for an independent in- vestigation into what they say is a longstand- ing pattern of racial harassment and retaliation against Black educators in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). During a July 9 virtual press conference, lead- ers from both organizations alleged that Black teachers and staff have repeatedly been sub- jected to racial slurs, including the N-word, by students on school campuses and through online learning platforms. They also contend that educators who reported the incidents of ten faced retaliation from school administra- tors rather than support.

“Black educators are being punished for telling the truth," said Jalisa Evans, CEO of BEAN. “When these teachers report it, they should be met with support, not retaliation. We are calling on the district to take real, im- mediate action to end this pattern once and for all.”

According to Evans, the incidents are not isolated but reflect a systemic problem that has persisted across LAUSD for years.

During the press conference, BEAN shared testimony from Black educators describing incidents in which students allegedly called teachers the N-word during class, wrote racial slurs on classroom desks and walls, and sent

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR DISCRIMINATION

AND ETALIATION

INVESTIGATE. ADDRESS racist messages through Schoology and Zoom during distance learning. One teacher re- counted opening a classroom door to find the N-word written across a desk. Another said an administrator responded to a complaint by asking whether a student used the slur ending in “er” or “a.”

Because of concerns over continued retalia- tion, BEAN said the educators whose experi- ences were highlighted remained anonymous during the event.

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