
The Williams Complaints Procedures
establishes the District’s policy to provide public school pupils with
equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school
facilities, and qualified teachers. The Eliezer Williams, et al., vs.
State of California, et al. (Williams) case was filed as a class action
in 2000 in San Francisco County Superior Court. The plaintiffs included
nearly 100 San Francisco County pupils, who filed suit against the State
of California and state education agencies, including the California
Department of Education (CDE). The basis of the lawsuit was that the
agencies failed to provide public school pupils with equal access to
instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities, and
qualified teachers. After four years of intense litigation, the parties
in the case reached a Settlement Agreement on August 13, 2004. Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger signed laws implementing the legislative proposals
set forth in the parties’ Settlement Agreement on September 29, 2004.