Parents at a school in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood are holding a rally Thursday to call for the removal of the school’s principal for what they say are unfair regulations.
The 20 or so parents at Paul Revere School, which teaches pre-kindergarten to eighth grade students, are taking issue with principal Sheila Sammon, who is in her second year at the school.
Sammon has allegedly instituted new rules such as issuing demerits for students taking bathroom trips, said Phillip Pierce, an organizer with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a group that advocates for low-income and immigrant families.
Pierce said Sammon has also instituted new rules to prevent parents from volunteering at the school and has intimidated or threatened parents if they voice any concerns about the new rules.
He said, “The new principal has basically changed the entire culture of the school” and alleged that the moves are an attempt to get low-performing students to attend another school so Paul Revere’s test scores improve.
Pierce said parents have made several complaints to district officials but have not heard a response.
San Francisco Unified School District spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said the principal and her staff “have put more systems and structures in place to ensure a safe learning environment, and for some students and parents, this has meant an adjustment.”
Blythe said she was aware of specific complaints made by parents and said, “Every complaint to date has been thoroughly investigated.”
Sammon was not immediately available for comment today.
The protest is planned for 8 a.m. Thursday on the front steps of the school, located at 555 Tompkins St.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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