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FREE POLITICAL SPEECH IN CLASS PRO/CON (2)
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CALIFORNIA DEFICIT IMPLICATIONS (15)
THE
April 2024 VOLUME XXXVI ISSUE V
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STUDENT VOICE OF MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
MUSD faces three lawsuits for alleged Eye on Campus: Senior class wins on sexual misconduct by formal personnel 25th anniversary of Trojan Olympics By Savan Bollu
MUSD is currently facing three lawsuits related to previously employed personnel allegedly having inappropriate sexual interactions with students, according to the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Public Portal. One case involves Daniel McQuigg, a teacher formerly employed at MHS until 2018, who allegedly sexually harassed, molested, and abused an MHS student between 2016 and 2020, according to the Complaint for Damages in the court case “Jane Doe vs Milpitas Unified School District et al.” The second case involves former teacher William Martin, and the third pertains to former teacher Paula Chenoweth. Both cases are regarding alleged incidents with Samuel Ayer High School students in the 1970s, according to the portal. With regards to the McQuigg case, the district investigated allegations and reported findings
to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) prior to the court case, Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said. McQuigg’s teaching license was revoked in November 2019, according to the CTC website. “The school district did our due diligence in investigating, identifying an issue—what we could do to the furthest extent of the law as far as what the evidence was and what legal counsel could do,” Jordan said. Regarding the 1970s cases, the district is currently locating past records related to those cases and identifying MUSD’s liability insurance carrier from that time, Jordan said. Although these cases involve alleged incidents from the 1970s, MUSD is currently facing a lawsuit because the statute of limitations in California was recently extended for individuals older than 40, she added. Victims of childhood sexual assault can now seek recovery of damages until age 40 or up to five years after “the date the plaintiff
discovers or reasonably should have discovered that psychological injury or illness occurring after the age of majority was caused by the sexual assault”—whichever comes later, according to California Assembly Bill 218, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The age of majority in California is 18. The McQuigg case was filed in 2023, while the Martin and Chenoweth cases were filed in 2022, according to the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Public Portal. “By opening the door on the statute of limitations for a few years, it allows people who were hurt in some way by those who were supposed to be looking out for their welfare to bring lawsuits against them as individuals and/ or the entities that those individuals work for,” Jordan said. The timeline for resolution of these court cases is indeterminate as there are various factors that could delay a case, Interim SEE PAGE 16
Agna Soneji | THE UNION
Barrett teaches biology to his students. His classroom displays a Palestinian flag, as seen in the background.
Palestinian flag in class brings up issue of teachers’ free speech rights By Paarth Gupta
Due to a student complaint, MHS science teacher Glen Barrett spoke to administration about a Palestinian flag in his classroom, Barrett said in a written statement given to The Union. Barrett was happy with the way the administration handled the situation, he said. “They came up and their focal point was my safety, which I really respect as a teacher, and they said, ‘We don’t want conflict to come to your room, but we’re aware it might happen.’ And I went, ‘Okay,’” Barrett said. In terms of administrative action, Barrett does not believe the situation will escalate further than his conversation with administration, he said. “No one’s ordered me to take it down,” Barrett said. “I don’t think they will either. There are things that are far more controversial in other teachers’ classrooms right now. I think it would start a firestorm of unhappy teachers who are expressing themselves in a variety of ways – some I agree with and some I don’t.”
All teachers are bound by the contract negotiated with the school board, English teacher and Milpitas Teachers’ Association (MTA) Vice President of Secondary Brett Webber said. “Academic freedom is enshrined in our contract with the district,” Webber said. “Teachers are bound by what is in the contract. They also have to follow board policy and state law.” The Collective Bargaining Agreement between MUSD and MTA discusses the topic of controversial issues in the classroom. “It’s Article 6.3, A and B, and part of that says that there should be an open discussion, an open exchange of controversial issues,” Webber said. “We are here to educate the students. Part of that also means that we need to face controversial issues. It is not a teacher’s job to proselytize or evangelize an issue.” It is important for educators to raise these issues in their classrooms, Webber said. “Can there be a flag in the classroom? Yes, there can,” Webber said. “Does it have to be equal representation? I don’t think so.
As long as we acknowledge that there is another side to it, and we prompt our students to do their research to make up their own minds.” Barrett believes he has the same right to express himself that students have, he said. “I mean, there’s so many times in history class when people ask, ‘Why didn’t people say something?’ World War I, World War II, you name it, any atrocity happens and somebody says, ‘Why didn’t someone say something?’ I need to say something,” Barrett said. Barrett believes there is a genocide happening in the Middle East, he said. “This has been demonstrated not just by Israel and by the actions of the Israeli government and military, but by their own words,” Barrett said. “They’ve stated this by simply saying, and I quote, ‘We will wipe them all out.’ Legally, historically, and ethically – that’s genocide.” Barrett displayed the Palestinian flag in his classroom to supSEE PAGE 16
Courtesy of Sanjit Roy
The seniors won Trojan Olympics (TO) on March 29 with a score of 710 points. The event took place inside the gym for the first time since 2019.
Board delays NJROTC staffing cut, aims to boost program enrollment By Erick Johnson
The MUSD board agreed to maintain the Navy Junior Reserve Oficers Training Corps (NJROTC) program despite expected budgetary cuts during the Feb. 13 board meeting. The U.S. Navy has announced it will cease to fund MHS’s NJROTC program if the program fails to reach the 100 student enrollment threshold before the next school year begins, Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said at the Feb. 13 MUSD board meeting. To counteract the NAVY’s expected fund withdrawal, community organizations have stepped up to collect money to fund the program in the short term, MUSD Board President Minh Ngo said in
an email. “However, for long term success, student enrollment in the program must increase,” Ngo said. The program currently has 52 students enrolled, which means it must double its enrollment numbers before the school year begins in order to retain Navy funding, Jordan said at the board meeting. “It is not fair to Lieutenant Jackson who has been there (at the program) for the last seven years by herself,” assistant superintendent Kelly-Yip Chuan said. “It is a pathway for our students.” At the February board meeting, Jordan proposed removing one full-time equivalent (FTE) from SEE PAGE 16
LGBTQ+ studies class to be offered as ethnic studies course next year By Ruby Bui
MHS will begin offering a variety of ethnic studies courses next school year, one of these classes being ethnic studies LGBTQ+, Assistant Principal Jonathan Mach said. However, starting with the class of 2030, all high school students in California will be required to take a one-semester ethnic studies course, according to EdSource. According to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum by the California Department of Education, an ethnic studies course must be “addressing racialized experiences and ethnic differences as real and unique.” Ethnic studies LGBTQ+ is meant to focus particularly on LGBTQ+ studies, while the ethnic studies class covers a broader range of topics relating to diversity, said English teacher Brett Webber, who will teach the ethnic studies LGBTQ+ class next year. “Ethnicity is what makes up us, our diversity as humans, and for some people, LGBTQ is what makes them up,” Webber said.
“It is a part of their diversity and part of their identity. That’s how I see (the class) fitting into ethnic studies.” According to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, “ethnic studies courses may take several forms. However, central to any ethnic studies course is the historic struggle of communities of color, taking into account the intersectionality of identity (gender, class, sexuality, among others), to challenge racism, discrimination, and oppression and interrogate the systems that continue to perpetuate inequality.” Ethnic studies LGBTQ+ can be a great way for students to learn about and develop a greater understanding of the LGBTQ+ community’s history and experiences, Mach said. “In every single culture, there is an understanding of the LGBTQ community,” Mach said. “That understanding is very long and rich in each one of the races or ethnicities, but the way they approach this versus where it came to be can be very similar and can SEE PAGE 16