Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro District is one of 13 public schools that the San Francisco Unified School District plans to close or merge with another school. For one family, the struggle to keep open the school named in honor of an LGBTQ+ icon is deeply personal.
Dahlia Tarou – a fifth grader who identifies as “they/them” – told CBS News Bay Area that in Harvey Milk they felt comfortable being themselves.
“It was the first place I came out. I came out to my parents a while later,” Tarou said.
Dahlia and their mother Iris Tarou say the school’s culture of inclusivity has created a welcoming environment at a crucial and vulnerable time.
“There is a part of my family that doesn’t accept me for who I am, and that was very difficult. But this school helped me,” Tarou said.
It’s that intangible support for children like Dahlia, which isn’t quantifiable in an algorithm, that the Tarous and other families hope the district will recognize sooner. completing the closure of 13 public schoolsincluding Harvey Milk.
“It was just amazing that they felt comfortable doing that at school before they went somewhere else,” says Iris Tarou.
SFUSD said the closure of 13 schools is necessary to keep the district sustainable in the long term as it faces further declining enrollment and a steep budget deficit.
“Without a balanced budget and a plan to consolidate our resources, we risk a state takeover of our school district,” SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne said in an Oct. 8 letter to parents.
“Should SFUSD enter receivership, the State of California will take over the district’s governance and financial, operational and programmatic decisions for years to come,” Wayne said.
Parents have organized meetings in an effort to convince SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne and the school board, which must ultimately sign off on finalizing the closures. Wayne was criticized by San Francisco Mayor London Breed earlier this week And He will reportedly hand in his resignation during a meeting on Friday evening.
For Iris, the way her school community embraced Dahlia’s differences is something she hopes will be there for anyone who needs that kind of support in the future.
That’s why her family is fighting to keep the school open.
“To me, that says so much about this community and how it is really walking the walk as a civil rights academy,” said Iris Tarou.
“Inclusivity and diversity. I have said these words many times, and it is because that is what this school stands for, and it should not be closed,” says Dahlia Tarou.
Parents acknowledge that district officials are trying to prevent a state takeover by addressing budget shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars. They hope that SFUSD will reverse course on the closures.
“The board and everyone who makes these difficult decisions, I don’t envy them at all, and I know they’re trying, and I know they do care,” Iris Tarou said.
“I’m definitely fighting for the school to stay open because I know there will be more people like me who don’t fit in, what society says is for girls and boys,” said Dahlia Tarou.
Dahlia is not afraid to speak out for what they believe in. It’s a life lesson she’s already learned at a school they hope won’t close.
