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By Lou Yeboah

“I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you” [1 Chronicles 21:10]. Three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else three days the sword of the LORD; the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.” Choose One of them for me to carry out against you” because over and over I have warned you to repent, and you have ignored my warnings!

Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me: And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” [1 Chronicles 21:13].

So, the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy- thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! withdraw your hand. [2 Samuel 24:15-16]. Oh,Merciful God! If it had not been for the Lord on my side, where would I be?

Listen, even though God chooses to show mercy, what about when that mercy runs out? What will you do? So, many times we take things of God for granted. Things like salvation. God’s convictions. God’s calling. God’s grace and mercy without realizing the result of doing so. But [Isaiah 5:24] reminds us that if we do not repent and return to our first love, that God’s love will be turned to anger, His blessings will turn to judgment, murder and death of the people will increase, enemy nations will threaten to attack—suddenly and overwhelmingly—and all trusted defenses will fail. It happened to Israel. It will happen to us if we don’t soon change our ways. I tell you, it’s past time to look to God, repent and beg His mercy because the similarities of the six woes in [Isaiah 5] and how they relate to us, especially America today are astounding.

Sound the Alarm: Judgment is Coming! Blow the trumpet in Zion; let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Blow the Shofar! Another army is approaching… this one not of locust but men… who attack, scaling walls and entering houses… and this too will be a “Day of the Lord.”

The message God has given to proclaim; God has run out of patience with your unbelief and punishment is on the horizon: For He says, even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says: “‘Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.” [Jeremiah 15:1-2].

As Moses wrote in the book of Numbers: “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” [Numbers 23:19]. This is what the LORD says; while God is full of mercy, His justice will prevail. Make no mistake about it!

“I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.”

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

 Marked for their intense drive and steely determination, Scorpios make some of the most indispensable people in a company or an organization. You never have to worry about bearing the brunt of hard work with this sign around. Scorpio’s famous for doing whatever is necessary to bring a job to completion. If you work with a Scorpio, you are working with someone who is intense, passionate, and strong-willed and who get the job done. Mr. Wallace Allen… a very lucky man…. Lol….

Happy Birthday to ALL November born.

If you would like to place your “Birthday Ad” in Westside Story Newspaper, please call (909) 384-8131.

By Breanna Reeves and Drew Nate

A JW North High School math teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a video of her mockingly chanting and dancing around the classroom in a fake headdress went viral on Thursday.

In the video, the teacher is seen chanting “SohCahToa,” a mnemonic device that is commonly used to teach trigonometry in classrooms. The video captures a scene that Native American students and community members are already familiar with — the misappropriation and mockery of Native American culture.

“How many students now seeing her react that way or even on the viral videos that are going on, are now mimicking her within their discussions in their own neighborhoods now?” asked Assemblymember James Ramos

who is Serrano and Cahuilla and the first Native American person elected to the California Assembly. “And how does that make the Native American students feel or the Native American community feel?”

The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) released a statement in response to the incident, which read in part, “Her actions do not represent the values of our district.” RUSD is currently pursuing an investigation into the incident.

“We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honor the rich diversity of our district and the greater region. We will be working with our students, families, staff and community to regain your trust,” the statement read.

While RUSD has initiated an investigation into the incident and the teacher, community members expressed outrage at an RUSD Board Meeting Thursday evening. A few attendees who spoke called for the teacher to be fired immediately.

A young girl in attendance at the meeting, spoke powerfully to the RUSD Board Members. “Me and my people, we still don’t have our rights. We’ve been fighting for it. I always feel so sad,” she said.

She went on to say, “They treat us badly, they bully us, and nothing has happened for so long.” She gave a call to action to RUSD Board Members. As she stated in the meeting, “[Y]ou can change things, you have the power to change things.”

Several members and supporters of the American Indian Movement’s Southern California chapter went to the podium to speak, demanding that the teacher be fired, an apology to the student who filmed the incident, and an apology to Native Americans affected by the video.

“We want that apology. We want something done. We heard what your statement said — you’re going to ‘look into it’. We’ve heard over and over ‘we’re looking into it.’ No. We want it looked into now,” said Dee Dee Manzanares Ybarra, director of the American Indian Movement SoCal chapter and tribal chair of Rumšen Am:a Tur:ataj Ohlone.

“We’re not going to wait. We asked for an answer within a week. We expect that answer. Something needs to be done. All the evidence is there.”

In response to the video, community members organized a protest on Thursday to let their voices be heard in Riverside.

President of JW North Alumni Association, Sammie Luna spoke at the RUSD Board Meeting and talked about how it was a difficult day for everyone in attendance. She began by saying she is a proud Husky and by thanking Dr. Horace Jackson who was one of the first principals at JW North High School to champion cultural diversity.

She spoke in front of the RUSD Board, saying, “diversity has always been North’s greatest attribute and treasure.” She spoke of the incident and mentioned how this was the perfect example of why Assembly Bill 101 regarding ethnic studies is needed which she credited to Assemblymember Jose Medina for introducing the bill. Luna went on to say that “this bill is not only good for our students but also for teachers.”

Jesse Ramirez, a community member who also spoke at the RUSD Board Meeting called for the JW North High School teacher to be terminated. Ramirez also went on to explain the importance of ethnic studies bill.

Earlier this month, California became the first state to require students to complete an ethnic studies course for high school graduation.

“America is shaped by our shared history, much of it painful and etched with woeful injustice. Students deserve to see themselves in their studies, and they must understand our nation’s full history if we expect them to one day build a more just society,” Governor Newsom said in a statement.

Last September RUSD unanimously voted to make ethnic studies a graduation requirement among high school students beginning with the 2024-25 school year. Prior to this vote, RUSD offered both African American Studies and Chicano Studies courses as electives to students.

The incident at North High School further emphasized the need for ethnic studies and cultural competency in the classroom. Assemblymember Ramos explained that his upcoming bill, AB 1554, the California Indian Education Act, outlines curriculum guidelines for educating both students and teachers on California Native Americans.

“There has to be some type of change that takes place to make sure that California Indian people, and Native Americans throughout the nation, are respected and taught appropriately when they’re being discussed inside the classroom,” said Ramos. “This is an issue that starts at an early age that continues to move forward into higher education.”

The student who took the video remains anonymous and does not wish to be identified for safety reasons, according to Akalei Brown, who is Kanaka-Maoli and Taos Pueblo and a Native History/ Culture consultant. Brown has identified herself as the spokesperson for the family of the student.

“I felt it necessary to share this video with the world so they could have a small glimpse into the type of abuses Native children face in US schools every day,” said Brown in a statement via Instagram. “This is reality for Native people in the US and we’re not going to take it sitting down anymore. We’re standing up for our children and setting a new standard for the treatment of Native people.”

To the student who filmed the incident, Assemblymember Ramos urged, “??Continue to stand up, stand up for your rights, don’t let no one take those rights from you. So, stand up, keep moving forward, and there should be no — there should be no retaliation against this student for recording what they did in that classroom.”

This district has not released the teacher’s name.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA –PAL Charter Academy faced off against Lucerne Valley Saturday, October 23 at San Bernardino High School. PCA won 48-0, moving them to 2-0 in Agape League play.

The Bulls received a surprise visit from President Dr. Gwen Rodgers from the San Bernardino City Unified School District. She gave the team a boost before the game telling them she and the district were proud of them.

Dr. Rodgers then gave them a pep talk and encouraged them to bring it home for PCA and the city. The district extended PAL Charter Academy SBHS football stadium to play their season games while PCA builds their football field. PAL Charter is the longest operating and first authorized Charter school under the SBCUSD.

Head coach, Joseph Stanley, said the team played hard and followed the school’s 3D code, “Discipline, Determination, and Dedication equals winner on and off the field!” Tonight, they lived the code.

Executive Director Dwaine Radden Sr. said it was great seeing Dr. Rodgers out here supporting their players and school. It meant a lot to them and the staff. Radden noted the district has worked with him and the team to ensure they had a district facility to play their CIF games. Her visit was also coupled with making sure PCA received quality customer service from the district.

On Friday, October 29, the Bulls had a barn burner against Hesperia Christian, who is also 2-0.

RIALTO, CA— On Sunday, October 31, 2021, the City of Rialto held their annual Halloween Hi-Jinks at the Civic Center in Downtown Rialto.

Halloween Hi-Jinks is the city’s annual Halloween celebration. This year there was a New Orleans Masquerade Mayhem with free candy, games and live entertainment. Other festivities included Down in the Bayou with kid’s crafts, food vendors and Princess & the Frog movie, Mazes and a Masquerade Mask Contest.

“Another great success during our Halloween Hi-Jinks,”Mayor Deborah Robertson stated. “Thanks to everyone who participated in making this a wonderful night. Special thanks to the new Community Services Director Cynthia Alvarado and the entire supporting staff of Parks and Recreation, as well as the various City department heads in attendance. The crowd and turnout was awesome!”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- With excitement in her voice Sheri Lewis, Social Lites Inc. President 2021 told the young men wanting to be a part of the 2021-22 Beautillion program that she is implementing great ideas this year.  “New structure, new ideas and a myriad of support from former Alumni and corporate sponsors will catapult this years’ program to greater heights,” she explained.

Edward Brantley, the father of the Sir Knight 2020 Kameron Brantley, kicked the program off with a great start by educating young men about how to retain information, knowledge and wisdom.

Also in support were former Alumni Chache Wright, Alumni 1999 and currently the President of the San Bernardino NAACP; Dr. Gregory Alexander, Alumni 1992 and Vice Principle of Arroyo Valley High School; Charles Brown, Alumni 1989, the Director of Equity for Riverside County Office of Education; Johnathan Moreno and Kamau Osonduagwuike Alumni 2018, Kameron Brantley, Alumni 2020 are hard-working and full-time students; Russell Ward, Alumni of 1984 and currently a Software Specialist for Konica Minolta, he also has been the Dance Choreographer for us for the past 25 years. Each Alum offered their overview and shared the long-lasting benefits of joining the Beautillion.

With 55 years of service and having blessed thousands of African American young men the Social Lites have collectively distributed over $2.5 million to our young men who want to attend college or a trade school of their choice. Through mentorship, leadership and character and life development skills we can help Elementary to High School students achieve their goals.

If you know of young men who fits the criteria and wants to be a part of this six-month extracurricular program, please contact the program director as soon as possible. The Beautillion Briefing is every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Youth & Community Development Center, 468 West 5th Street in San Bernardino, CA.  92401.

Let’s be the help for our young men’s dreams of becoming better. Knowledge Is Power. If you have questions, please call Marlene Davis at (909) 709-5502.

By Edward Henderson | California Black

The California state government has been reminding businesses across the state that it is illegal to discriminate against job applicants because they have committed felonies or misdemeanors in the past. Authorities in Sacramento have also taken steps to make sure businesses do not use COVID-related restrictions to deny entry to customers they do not want based on race or other factors.

So far, the state has sent more than 500 notices to businesses informing them that they have violated protections put in place to protect people seeking work.

“The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) announced a new effort to identify and correct violations of the Fair Chance Act, a pioneering state law that seeks to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with criminal histories,” a statement the DFEH released last week reads.

The Fair Chance act, which took effect on January 1, 2018, was written to increase access to employment for Californians with criminal histories in an effort to reduce recidivism, among other goals. Employers with five or more employees are prohibited from asking a job candidate about conviction history during the hiring process or when advertising a vacancy.

The DFEH says it is implementing new technologies to conduct mass searches of online job applications that include unlawful statements. For example, some businesses explicitly state in hiring advertisements that they would not consider applicants with criminal records.

“Using technology to proactively find violations of the state’s anti-discrimination laws is a powerful strategy for our department to protect Californians’ civil rights,” said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. “DFEH is committed to preventing employment discrimination through innovative enforcement actions and by providing clear guidance to employers.”

DFEH also released a toolkit to aid employers in adhering to the Fair Chance Act guidelines. The toolkit includes sample forms and guides that employers can use to follow required procedures; a suggested statement that employers can add to job advertisements and applications to let applicants know that they will consider individuals with criminal histories; answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Fair Chance Act and an informational video that explains the Fair Chance Act.

In addition, DFEH plans to release an interactive training and an online app in 2022.

The DFEH also released guidelines for businesses that will be implementing COVID-19 related entry restrictions to protect against discrimination based on race, sex, religious background and nationality.

While businesses have been encouraged to stay vigilant with mask mandates and vaccination verification for entry, the DFEH says it has also found it necessary to preemptively address refusal of entry that could be racially motivated masked as a COVID precaution.

“As Californians navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing has provided guidance to protect civil rights and mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission in employment, housing, healthcare, and, in our guidance released today, businesses open to the public,” said Kish. “We can and must uphold civil rights while simultaneously disrupting the spread of COVID-19.”

DFEH encourages individuals to report job advertisements in violation of the Fair Chance Act or other instances of discrimination.

DFEH is also encouraging the public to report housing ads that include discriminatory language that exclude certain racial groups, immigrants, people with felonies, applicants with Section 8 or HUD vouchers; etc.

Visit the DFEH website to file complaints.

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Supporters of a bill that would have increased diversity among civil service employees at all levels across California state government are blasting Gov. Newsom for vetoing the legislation.

Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) introduced the legislation, which would have required all state boards and commissions to have at least one member from an underrepresented community. Called the “Upward Mobility” bill, supporters say the legislation would have also opened up pathways to Blacks and other minorities for promotions, higher salaries and recruitment for state government jobs.

According to Holden, there is documented evidence that some state agencies — the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), for example – have passed over Black and other minorities for promotions.

For Black Californians, Assembly Bill (AB) 105, was particularly critical and historic, supporters say.

“We were asking for more diversity in the HR department of our state, which is the largest employer in California,” said Betty Williams, a well-known activist in Sacramento.

Williams, who is also a member of the African American Empowerment Community Council (AACEC), a coalition of Black leaders across the state, said she was especially taken aback by Newsom’s decision. Governor Newsom was aware of how important AB 105 was to the AACEC, she explained, and they had urged him to sign it.

“Governor Newsom wins 83 % of the African American vote in the recall election, and he vetoes major civil rights legislation in the state right after, is disappointing,” she added.

Currently in California, nearly 64 % of all state government employees — including senior management positions — are held by Whites, according to data from CalHR.  Whites make up only 34 % of the state’s overall population of about 40 million people.

Supporters of the bill also explain that, for the first time in the history of the United States, there would have been a law that required state agencies to break down and record the numbers of Black Americans employed in government who are direct descendants of enslaved people.

“I am very disappointed. Look at section six of the bill. We worked with the bill’s author to include language in AB 105 that would have disaggregated the Black or African American category and created a specific way for gathering information on Black folks who descended from U.S. Slavery and who experienced Jim Crow in the Deep South and elsewhere,” said Chris Lodgson, a Sacramento-based community organizer for the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) and the American Redress Coalition of California (ARCC).

Lodgson and both organizations he represents have been at the forefront of the political effort in California to study the history of slavery and Anti-Black discrimination and seek reparation for Black descendants of enslaved people.

“Right now, the category of ‘Black or African American,’ means – and this is from the legal definition the state uses – anybody with origin in the Black racial groups of Africa. That doesn’t specifically describe me — whose family comes from slavery in the American South. That definition makes Black descendants of enslaved people invisible in the data. This bill would have changed that.”

Like Lodgson and Williams, other Black leaders in the state say they were surprised and let down by the governor’s decision.

“Please stop coming into our house asking for bread pudding and then when you get it, you don’t speak to us, or speak to our concerns, when you don’t need us anymore,” said Cynthia Adams, an education and civil rights advocate in Oakland. “This has to stop.”

Adams said government should not just include people who have the right skills set.

“It should level the playing field and reflect, as well as protect, diversity. This is achieved by recruiting and promoting qualified people who look like the racial, ethnic and cultural makeup of people in the state.”

Newsom said he “returned” AB 105 without his signature, because the bill may have had “unintended consequences.”

“While the goals of AB 105 are laudable, elements of the bill conflict with existing constitutional requirements, labor agreements, and current data collection efforts,” the governor said in statement after vetoing the bill. “Furthermore, as AB 105 would cost tens of millions of dollars, these one-time and significant ongoing costs should be considered through the annual state budget process.”

Responding to the governor, supporters say funding for the bill would have come out of the $42 billion dollar state budget surplus, so cost is not a factor. Lodgson also pointed out that the Office of Legislative Counsel reviewed the bill and found no legal or administrative conflicts.

AB 105 defined the term “board member or commissioner from an underrepresented community” as an individual who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Military veterans with a disability were also included in the definition.

Lodgson says, although the governor vetoed the AB 105, he is still “encouraged” because both the State Senate Assembly and Senate passed the legislation with “solid” two-third majorities.

There was also widespread support among Californians, he says.

“The governor’s veto message encouraged the bill’s author to work with his team to work through some of the issues during the budget process in January 2022,” said Lodgson. “So, he opened the door for the things in the bill that we are specifically concerned about to possibly be added as early as the first few months of 2022.”

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the Black community owned less than 1% of the United States’ total wealth, the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans was told during its fourth meeting.

Mehrsa Baradaran, a professor at the University of California Irvine, School of Law, shared the statistics during the “Racism in Banking, Tax, and Labor” portion of the two-day meeting on October 13.

From her perspective, the power of wealth and personal income is still unequally distributed. And that inequality, in her view, has always been allowed, preserved and compounded by laws and government policy.

“More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged,” Baradaran told the Task Force, tracing the wealth gap from the period after the Civil War when President Lincoln granted formerly enslaved Blacks their freedom to the present day.

“The gap between average White wealth and Black wealth has actually increased over the last decades. Today, across every social-economic level, Black families have a fraction of the wealth that White families have,” she said.

Baradaran has written a range of entries and books about banking law, financial inclusion, inequality, and the racial wealth gap. Her scholarship includes the books “How the Other Half Banks” and “The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap,” both published by the Harvard University Press.

Baradaran has also published several articles on race and economics, including “Jim Crow Credit” in the Irvine Law Review, “Regulation by Hypothetical” in the Vanderbilt Law Review, and “How the Poor Got Cut Out of Banking” in the Emory Law Journal.

A 43-year-old immigrant born in Orumieh, Iran, Baradaran, testified that her work on the wealth gap in America was conducted from a “research angle” and she respectfully “submitted” her testimony “in that light,” she said.

In her research, Baradaran explained that she discovered an intentional system of financial oppression.

“This wealth chasm doesn’t abate with income or with education. In other words, this is a wealth gap that is pretty much tied to a history of exclusion and exploitation and not to be remedied by higher education and higher income,” Baradaran said.

According to a January 2020 report, the Public Policy Institute of California said African American and Latino families make up 12% of those with incomes above the 90th percentile in the state, despite comprising 43% of all families in California.

In addition, PPIC reported that such disparities mirror the fact that African American and Latino adults are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and have higher unemployment rates, and African American adults are less likely to be in the labor force.

Many issues support these activities that range from disparities around education, local job opportunities, and incarceration to discrimination in the labor market, according to PPIC.

“While California’s economy outperforms the nation’s, its level of income inequality exceeds that of all but five states,” the report stated.

“Without target policies, it will continue to grow,” Baradaran said of the wealth gap. “And I want to be clear of how this wealth gap will continue to grow. It was created, maintained, and perpetuated through public policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Black men and women have been shut out of most avenues of middle-class creations. Black homes, farms, and savings were not given the full protection of the law. Especially as these properties were subjected to racial terrorism. The American middle-class was not created that way (to support Black communities).”

A June 2018 working paper from the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute written by economists familiar with moderate-to-weak Black wealth backs up Baradaran’s assessment.

Published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, the authors of the report wrote that strategies to deny Blacks access to wealth started at the beginning of the Reconstruction era, picked up around the civil rights movement, and resurfaced around the financial crisis of the late 2000s.

Authored by Moritz Kuhn, Moritz Schularick, and Ulrike I. Steins, the “Income and Wealth Inequality in America, 1949-2016” explains a close analysis of racial inequality, pre-and post-civil rights eras.

The economists wrote that the median Black household has less than 11% of the wealth of the median White household, which is about $15,000 versus $140,000 in 2016 prices.

“The overall summary is bleak,” the report states. “The historical data also reveal that no progress has been made in reducing income and wealth inequalities between black and white households over the past 70 years.”

Baradaran recently participated in the virtual symposium, “Racism and the Economy: Focus on the Wealth Divide” hosted by 12 District Banks of the Federal Reserve System, which includes the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

There are some positives that are not typically included in discussions about the challenges Blacks have experience historically in efforts to obtain wealth, Baradaran said. Many African Americans, specifically in California, were able to subvert the systems that discriminated against them.

“Black institutions have been creative and innovative serving their communities in a hostile climate,” Baradaran said. “I’ve written a book about the long history of entrepreneurship, self-help, and mutual uplift. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have provided stellar education and Black banks have supported Black businesses, churches, and families.”

California’s Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, titled “The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans,” created a nine-member commission to investigate inequity in education, labor, wealth, housing, tax, and environmental justice.

All of these areas were covered with expert testimony during the two-day meeting held on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13. The task force is charged with exploring California’s involvement in slavery, segregation, and the historic denial of Black citizens’ constitutional rights.

Fifty years after the federal Fair Housing Act eliminated racial discrimination in lending, the Black community continues to be denied mortgage loans at rates much higher than their White counterparts.

“Banks and corporations have engaged in lending and hiring practices that helped to solidify patterns of racial inequality,” Jacqueline Jones, a history professor from the University of Texas told the Task Force.

The Racism in Banking, Tax and Labor segment also featured testimonies by Williams Spriggs (former chair of the Department of Economics at Howard University. Spriggs now serves as chief economist to the AFL-CIO), Thomas Craemer (public policy professor at the University of Connecticut), and Lawrence Lucas (U.S. Department of Agriculture Coalition of Minority Employees).

The Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans will conduct its fifth and final meeting of 2021 on Dec. 6 and Dec.7.

SAN BERNARDINO – The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) and the San Bernardino County Teachers Association (SBCTA) are proud to be the recipients of an award grant aimed at enhancing, supporting and sustaining high-quality teaching for all California students.

The California Teachers Association (CTA) Institute for Teaching (IFT) award grant for $13,159.39 was used to purchase a new wheel balancer and a tabletop tire changer expandable for the Bob Murphy Community Day School’s Career Technical Education auto shop. Bob Murphy is one of 13 County alternative school placements for students grades 7-12 who are facing challenges in a public school setting.

“I am proud and grateful for the phenomenal work of our SBCSS staff and our collaboration with SBCTA. We strive to provide every one of our students the opportunity to learn and recognize their unique potential,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “One of the priorities at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools is to ensure innovative and inspirational educational practices, and this is one of the many ways we are providing the tools and skills needed for students to succeed.”

The IFT grant project benefits up to 200 students at all of San Bernardino County’s alternative education programs. The auto shop class is currently attended by students both virtually and in-person by students from Community Schools in San Bernardino, Colton, Redlands, Yucca Valley and Victorville. Students will have hands-on experience and learn skills that they can apply to a career.

“This is who we fight for every day, and this grant will give our students all the tools they need and the extra layer of support so they can be on equal footing with their counterparts in comprehensive schools,” said Yvonne Molles, President of the San Bernardino County Teachers’ Association. “The grant opens up opportunities for our students. I was inspired by Superintendent Ted Alejandre’s leadership and support to help give our students the opportunities they might not have had otherwise.”

The 2021/2022 grant project team from SBCSS/SBCTA consisted of administration, union leaders, teachers and site staff as part of a multi-year plan.

Myrlene Pierre (Assistant Superintendent of Student Services), Rich De Nava (Assistant Superintendent of Business Services), Scott Wyatt (Area Director of Student Services), Yvonne Molles (President of SBCTA), Tony Alvarado (CTE Automotive Teacher), County Superintendent Ted Alejandre, and students from the auto shop class.