The Reseda High community is protesting the cancelling of the French and Theater Arts programs — an action suspected to be retaliation by administration against the UTLA Chapter Chair. 

UTLA Chapter Chair and French teacher Stephanie Defrance spent the last two years being a leading voice on school safety and educator rights, defending Reseda educators from contract violations and unethical treatment by the principal. This is not the first controversy at the school; earlier this year, Reseda High drew national attention following the death of a young student. 

UTLA members at the school were in the process of running a “no confidence” vote against the principal when administration abruptly announced that the French and Theater Arts programs would be eliminated next year, displacing Defrance and theater teacher Siri Harkins. 

“I need French 2 to graduate,” says Kaleigha, an 11th-grade student. “Miss Defrance has helped me so much this year. When I needed her, she was there for me. She and Miss Harkins deserve a place here. We love them and we want to keep them here.” 

Above: Students pass out red bracelets to wear in support of their teachers 

Students circulated a petition that has garnered more than 600 signatures and now educators have launched an online petition to demand that the French and Theater Arts classes be reinstated.  

“I am insulted that our administration thinks our students don’t deserve what all the students in neighboring schools deserve,” math teacher Peg Cagle says. “All of our neighboring high schools offer three and four foreign languages, and they are telling us that for our students, at our Title 1 school, it’s good enough if they only have one. That’s unacceptable.” 

UTLA has also filed Employment Discrimination and Public Employment Relations Board complaints against LAUSD for targeting Defrance for protected union activities. 

“This is clearly a retaliation move on the part of our administration who doesn’t like it when teachers stay together and stand up for our rights,” Cagle says. 

After a lively protest in front of the school on Thursday, Reseda educators, parents, and students are keeping up the fight, planning an action next week to ramp up the pressure to save their teachers. 

The Reseda High community leafleted parents on May 7 to let them know what is happening at the school.