Students Demand Answers on Drug Education as Measure V Holds 73%

Board of Education • West Contra Costa Unified School DistrictNovember 10, 2026

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West Contra Costa Unified students who have asked since May for a review of their drug-prevention curriculum told the Board of Education they still have no answer, the night's largest and most organized show of public comment. The board also heard union leaders celebrate Measure V's strong early returns, a three-phase anti-racism roadmap from the superintendent, and a push from parents to block YouTube on student devices.

Six students and their program coordinator pressed for a timeline on the ROCKET drug-prevention curriculum, first requested in May
Measure V parcel tax at 73.29%, above the 66.6% threshold, protecting about $10.2M a year
Superintendent outlines three-phase anti-racism roadmap as an anti-Black slur at Kensington Elementary is investigated
Schools Beyond Screens parents urge a districtwide YouTube block on student Chromebooks
Board pulls several HR policies from a roughly 1,000-policy overhaul; final vote result unannounced

Students Say Drug-Prevention Plan Is Stuck

The basics: DROC, short for Discovering the Reality of Our Community, is a student group behind ROCKET, a six-week, student-led drug and alcohol prevention curriculum. It has been piloted at El Cerrito, Greenwood and De Anza.

Why it matters: Students say the district has no unified drug education curriculum while substance-use and overdose data worsen. They also say the district stopped responding after promising a follow-up.

Where things stand: Students from Hercules and El Cerrito high schools said they first came to the board in May. On Sept. 15 they were told their request would go to staff, and they said they had heard nothing since. Raquel Antolin, DROC program coordinator, said the curriculum was aligned with California health standards at the district's request. She asked who is reviewing it and requested a meeting with staff.

The students made five requests:

Written confirmation of who is reviewing the curriculum
A meeting with district leadership
A chance to present ROCKET for districtwide use
A timeline for a decision
A standardized drug and alcohol education class

The individual students added their own points:

Cheyenne Branch, a Hercules High student, laid out the request-and-wait chronology.
Prasidi Ariel, an El Cerrito High senior, cited county overdose data and said 3% of ninth graders use opioids.
Akriti Basnett, another El Cerrito senior, asked for the standardized class districtwide.
Milagros Garzon Cervantes said the superintendent's promise of feedback remains unfulfilled and asked when students will get an answer.
Tenzin Choeyang asked the district to allow a DROC club and said students should not have to keep asking.

The other side: No trustee or staff member responded. Under the board's practice, it usually does not engage on non-agenda public comment. In a related procedural complaint, Jen Kishner, public commenter, asked the board to hold closed session earlier or split it so students and teachers do not have to stay late to speak.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The board took no action. Six months of repeat visits by students suggest a gap between the district's intake of community proposals and its follow-through. That gap matters most to student organizers and to the three pilot schools waiting on a districtwide decision.

What's next: No review timeline was given. Watch whether staff names a reviewer or agendizes the curriculum.

Measure V Sails Past Two-Thirds Bar

Why it matters: The parcel tax renewal brings in about $10.2M a year for counselors, libraries, athletics and STEAM programs. It needs two-thirds approval to pass.

Where things stand: "Measure V stands at 73.29% in the latest county returns," said Francisco Ortiz, President, United Teachers of Richmond. He described a canvassing operation of more than 900 volunteer hours and 30,000 texts, and he thanked coalition partners and labor allies. The superintendent noted that counts were incomplete but said he expected the measure to be renewed.

History lesson: One trustee reviewed the district's record: 10 parcel taxes since 1992. The ones on presidential ballots passed, and the six held off-cycle failed. That pattern shows how heavily school revenue depends on election timing and turnout.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The vote was informational, and no board vote was required. Teachers and the labor coalition gain leverage from the result, and students keep funded programs. Trustees said they will show the public how the money is spent, a promise union and parent leaders framed as the condition of the win.

What's next: Final certification of county returns. Trustees pledged transparency and accountability on how Measure V dollars are used.

Anti-Racism Roadmap Meets Calls for Enforcement

Why it matters: Black community advocates and one trustee argued the district needs enforceable protocols and funding, not statements.

Where things stand: The superintendent outlined a three-phase plan to put the district's 2024 anti-slur policy into practice:

Set baselines.
Train administrators and campus climate leads, and expand alternatives to suspension.
Study implementation.

He also reported that an anti-Black slur at Kensington Elementary is under law enforcement investigation.

During board comments, a trustee said she brought an anti-Black resolution adopted Feb. 11, 2026. She asked for administrative regulations, the rules staff write to carry out board policy. She also asked for future discussion items and noted that recent agendas have had none. And she called for rapid responses to racist incidents on par with the district's response to other emergencies.

The other side: Parent leaders said the problem runs deeper than protocol. Ceylon Harrison, LCAP executive committee member, said the committee has not met this year and that parents of Black students are labeled aggressive. LCAP is the district's state-required spending plan. Harrison said the board's Black student resolution has no funding and no sunset. "ASAC has been an advisory, and we have not had a budget to advise on in 3 years," Harrison said.

Literacy advocates tied the issue to achievement. Mark Heringer, managing director, Go Public Schools, reported state test scores:

33.8% of students proficient in English language arts
28.1% proficient in math, up 2.2 points

He praised recent data sharing by the superintendent and Dr. Leroy Gaines and asked for a public data calendar. "Our students cannot afford another year of limited progress," Heringer said. Gilberto Cooper, public commenter, cited racial and income gaps in state science test results and called anti-racism statements performative without internal controls. "The district must develop a governing literacy plan for dismantling these persistent inequities," Cooper said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No action was taken. Black families, the LCAP committee and literacy advocates are aligned on one demand: put money and measurable plans behind the resolutions the board has already adopted.

What's next: Watch for administrative regulations and discussion items on anti-Blackness policy on upcoming agendas.

Parents Push YouTube Off Student Chromebooks

Why it matters: Whether YouTube is blocked is now decided school by school. Parents argued that leaves low-income families, who rely on district devices, less protected.

Where things stand: Three members of a new local Schools Beyond Screens chapter spoke. Rachel Wood, parent and Schools Beyond Screens organizer, first thanked the district for updating its Chromebook policy, moving off iReady and creating an AI task force. "We are asking you to consider blocking YouTube on student devices as a first step," Wood said. She noted that Google allows teacher-only access and that New York, Los Angeles and San Diego have restricted the platform.

Deshawn Moore, parent, framed the request as an equity issue. Christine Sangreen, co-founder of the local chapter, pointed to legal risk:

A multidistrict lawsuit joined by about 1,000 school districts
A bellwether verdict in KGM v. Meta
Shifting liability under Section 230, the federal law that shields platforms from lawsuits over user content

Sangreen argued the change would cost the district nothing.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No board response was recorded. The organized, three-speaker ask follows recent district technology moves, which suggests advocates see momentum.

What's next: The AI task force and Chromebook policy are the likely venues for any follow-up.

Policy Overhaul Hits Snags in HR Rules

Why it matters: Staff said hundreds of board policies were out of compliance, some not updated in decades. The district aims to finish about 1,000 updates by early December so the California School Boards Association can publish them together. About 50 remain.

Where things stand: Board President Leslie Reckler pulled several HR policies because of conflicts with earlier board actions:

The work-from-home policy (4213.5), which conflicts with a 2022 policy
Recruitment policies (4111, 4211, 4311), which do not reflect a June 2024 revision
Reference policies (4112.61, 4212.61, 4312.61)

Another trustee pulled policy 3350 and others that had skipped governance committee review. The school accountability report card policy kept its "shall" language. "It is actually in the Ed Code where … you have to review those," Reckler said. The board also changed "stakeholders" to "interest groups" in that policy.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy moved to adopt all remaining policies, and Reckler seconded. Affirmative responses were audible, but no result was announced. Employees covered by the pulled HR policies, including those working remotely, will wait for revised versions.

What's next: The pulled policies return after governance review. The early-December publication target stands.

Adult school contract: Trustee Gonzalez Hoy moved to approve the first-ever agreement with Adult School Teachers United, ending an effort that began in 2018. Dr. Greenwood, staff, said members ratified it within board parameters, and ASTU President Christine Pursley thanked the board. The vote result was not announced; check official minutes.
Excite LLC pulled: The contract was removed from consent item C9, the 2026-27 procurement ratification, with no action (For: 7, Against: 0, Absent: 0).
Staffing and facilities: A provisional internship permit, which lets the district hire interns who have not yet met subject-matter requirements, passed (For: 6, Against: 0, Absent: 1, Student Trustee Miles). The board also voted on delegating authority to award the Highland Elementary portable restroom contract; yes votes were audible, but no result was announced.
Recognitions and records: Resolutions for American Education Week (Nov. 16-20, 2026), Native American Heritage Month and Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month each passed 7-0. September and October minutes were approved 7-0 with two corrections.
Dejean Middle milestone: "For the first time in 13 years, we've had no suspensions for this first quarter," said Chalumba Kabongo, BACR community school director. Kabongo also reported $10,600 in rental relief secured for families.

Looking ahead: The Dec. 2 board meeting moves to Dec. 9. Jeffrey Bean, Shannon Elementary fifth-grade teacher, said classrooms topped 85 degrees and urged a plan before a June contractual heat deadline. Another commenter reported a chained, padlocked emergency exit.

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