Caving to the pressure of a national conservative parent group known for their agenda to attack critical race theory, villainize immigrant students, and erase LGBTQ+ identities, the Los Angeles Unified School District has moved to remove “Black” from the Black Student Achievement Plan. 

In 2020, a coalition led by Black student leaders fought to create the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) to provide additional educational resources and supports to LAUSD schools with the highest proportion of Black students who face structural challenges caused by generations of systemic racism and oppression. And as part of our last contract fight, we successfully pushed the district to codify BSAP into our 2022-25 contract, winning agreements for more resources, staffing, and professional development for BSAP schools.

Without engaging educators, students, families, or communities who fought long and hard for the implementation of BSAP, the district made the unilateral decision to eliminate schools’ Black student population as a factor in allocating BSAP funding.

At the September 10 school board meeting, educators, students, and community members testified on the positive impacts of the BSAP program.

High school student and Students Deserve leader Joseph Burney told Carvalho and the school board about how BSAP impacted his academic experience.

“In the 2021-2022 school year, I walked into a school in which I for the first time felt I was being recognized for who I was,” Burney said. “And it was being acknowledged that unlike my non-Black peers, the communities and places I come from are different. The resources I need are different.”

Following the school board meeting, the Police Free LAUSD coalition led a rally to “put the Black back in BSAP” where UTLA NEA Vice President Georgia Flowers Lee talked about the importance of supporting Black students.

“I know the difference it can make when you’ve got someone in your corner,” said Flowers Lee. “So us adults along with you are going to fight to make sure you always, always have someone in your corner when you walk through those doors.”