We, the parents and guardians of West Portal Elementary School students (the West Portal Parents Club), urge SFUSD to revoke their decision to remove Paraprofessional, Annie Chiu, from West Portal Elementary School. As we communicated to you in numerous passionate emails last week, our most vulnerable students' IEP, SST, and 504 minutes are NOT being met at current staffing levels. Removing necessary support at an already critical time will cause real and immediate harm to ALL of our students, both by denying FAPE to our students with IEPs and by putting all students' safety at risk.

Annie Chiu is an experienced, well-liked, and well-respected paraprofessional who has important relationships with the students she supports. It is unconscionable that SFUSD would reduce our paraprofessional staff when we are already short at least one paraprofessional, students are NOT getting the support to which they are entitled by law and contract, we have had NO qualified person filling our Special Education teacher position all year, and when our other Special Education teacher leaves for maternity leave this week through the end of April. We urge you to reconsider TODAY, October 15, by 3:00pm.