Glendale Parents for Public Schools, a diverse volunteer organization of parents with children in Glendale Unified School District, is deeply concerned about the upcoming GUSD School Board meeting scheduled for June 20.
At the most recent meeting on June 6, many of us took the day off work to successfully fill the board room with GUSD families and community members. We were clear and vocal in our support for inclusivity and acceptance for all children in our schools. Following that action, our community was met with threats of intimidation and physical violence, extensively documented in video and photo evidence across multiple platforms.
After reviewing the roster of violent attendees at June 6 meeting (including Jan. 6 insurrectionists, Proud Boys, and other local white supremacists) and seeing calls for further actions at the June 20 meeting, we parents believe that these groups pose a significant risk to the safety and security of our community. We are committed to ongoing, active participation and engagement in matters concerning our children’s education and the protection of our LGBTQ+ neighbors. However, it is equally important to prioritize safety for our families and the Glendale community as a whole when meetings are being used to generate dangerous street conflicts and social media disinformation.
In the interest of voicing overwhelming parent support in the district for an inclusive community, we have collected hundreds of handwritten letters from actual parent and student voices within the district that we are delivering to GUSD’s Board next week. These letters emphasize our unequivocal support for curricula and policies that support and affirm all children, including those in the LGBTQ+ and Armenian communities.