LAUSD reviewing educational programs after César Chávez sex assault allegations

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to review curriculum and resources related to César Chávez following allegations of sexual assault against the late California labor leader.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday morning, Acting Superintendent Andrés E. Chait said the district is assessing the impact of the accusations against Chávez, including allegations by farm workers union co-founder Dolores Huerta that Chavez sexually assault her during their time as colleagues in the labor movement.

“We’re all deeply, deeply troubled by the allegations that have come forward,” Chait said. “We are assessing the impact it’s having on our educational programs.”

Chait also was asked about the March 31 César Chávez Day holiday.

“It’s an unassigned day, and at this point we would not make any shift in the calendar… but it is part of the larger picture that we’re assessing,” Chait said.

Huerta’s legacy extends far beyond the grape fields of the 1960s, where she rose to prominence alongside Cesar Chavez.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is expected to sign a proclamation Thursday to change César Chávez Day to Farm Workers Day in the city.

Chávez’s name also appears on schools and buildings across the region and the state. The Los Angeles Unified School District is home to César Chávez Elementary School near El Sereno, and the César Chávez Learning Academies. César Chávez Elementary opened in 2005 northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The César E. Chávez Learning Academies is a cluster of four independent high school on a campus in San Fernando.

It was unclear if the LAUSD will consider pulling Chávez’s name from the campuses.

The district release a statement Wednesday following revelations in a statement from 95-year-old Huerta.

“Los Angeles Unified is aware of the recent, troubling allegations related to Cesar Chavez,” an LAUSD representative said in the statement. “We take matters of this nature very seriously. Los Angeles Unified respects the voices and courage of survivors of all forms of violence.

Chavez was a farmworker leader whose legacy and activism are remembered for improving the working conditions of thousands of agricultural laborers.

“The district is reviewing curriculum and resources to ensure the emphasis remains on the important work of the farmworker movement, not on any one individual. It is important to recognize the collective work of thousands who have advanced social justice, labor rights, and community empowerment.”

Schools are also named after Chávez in Compton, Lynwood and Montebello. Santa Ana in Orange County is home to César Chávez High School.

At Los Angeles City College, construction is continuing on the César Chávez Administration and Workforce Building, scheduled for completion next year.

In the statement issued Wednesday by Huerta spokesman Erik Olvera, the 95-year-old activist referenced two separate sexual encounters in the 1960s with Chávez. Two of the 20th century’s most significant American labor leaders, Huerta and Chávez co-founded what would become United Farm Workers and worked for decades to further the organization’s cause.

Both encounters with Chávez led to pregnancies, Huerta said. The children were placed in the care of other families, she said.

Huerta said she is coming forward now to share her experience following a New York Times multi-year investigation into Chavez’s sexual misconduct.