Michelle Belanger

February 22, 2014

SEI 514
Reflection Paper #1
Advocacy/public policy

Name of Case: Eliezer Williams, et al., vs. State of California
Date of Decision: August 13, 2004
Court in which case was heard: San Francisco Superior Court
Issues that were the focus of the case: The main arguments of the case were
based on two main ideas. The first was the state of California has to provide all
students the basic resources they need to learn: qualified teachers, enough materials
and decent facilities. The second was all students have a fundamental right to an
equal education. The case argued that the state of California did not provide equal
opportunities for all children to learn. It called for the state to create basic
standards for educational materials and a system that made sure the schools held up
to these standards. The idea being that with more funds and the standards set forth
the schools could fix the current problems and prevent further problems down the
road.
History/Context that led up to the case: This case was filed due to the conditions
of some of the schools, qualifications of teachers, and lack of equipment primarily
attended by low income, non-white or non-English speaking students. These
schools were located in areas such as Oakland and Burbank, which are known to
have millions of low-income children of color. The schools in those communities
were known to have peeling paint in the classrooms, bathrooms that did not work
or were locked for all or a large portion of the day, rats or mice were present in the
schools among other conditions that were unsuitable such as no heating or air
conditioning. There was a lack of materials for the children to use, most schools did
not have enough textbooks for each student so they were unable to take books home
for homework. There were not enough science labs or art classes for children to
participate in and up to 75% of the teachers in some of these schools were not
certified to teach.
Courts decision: The state of California decided not to fight the case in court and
entered into a settlement acknowledging their responsibility to all of the students in
the state.
Main points of the settlement:
Every student, including English Learners, must have enough textbooks and
materials to use in class and take home.
Every school and classroom must be clean, safe and in good condition.
Every student must have a well-trained teacher according to standards set by
California and federal laws.
The settlement also created the standards for schools to meet and measure if
they have the basic resources needed. Every year officials from each county in
California will visit the schools with the lowest test scores to make sure there are
enough textbooks and learning materials, buildings are in good condition and
teachers are equip to teach their students. These officials need to report their
findings to the public. Parents can raise concerns about the condition of the
schools through a complaint process that need to be investigated by school
officials. The settlement also gave the school districts involved in the case $1
billion dollars to fix the current conditions. If the problems are not solved within
5 years the case can return to court.

My thoughts about case: My initial response to this case is Oh My Gosh! This was
2004? These conditions existed 10 years ago? My second response is did this really
need to be brought to the state of Californias attention? They let things get like this
and it took a court case for them to do anything about it? I feel that the conditions
were horrible and cant believe that children were made to attend in those
conditions. It was a viscous cycle that these schools are in such bad shape, it is no
wonder students wouldnt attend school causing them to fall behind and eventually
drop out. I feel the state dropped the ball. The state showed that they didnt place
enough care or money into those schools and the children who attended those
schools education. And if the state didnt care enough, why would the child? I am
grateful that the settlement was reached and hopefully a lesson learned to all the
states that all children deserve an equal chance at learning, no matter the
socioeconomic status, language or color.