The leadership at the newest high school in the Sequoia Union district is accused of tracking students, retaliation against those who complain and mismanagement in an anonymous letter that claims to represent the concerns of a group of TIDE Academy employees.

Among the most serious in the litany of complaints about the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math)-focused school in Menlo Park is tracking, the practice of sorting students into different programs of study based on their perceived abilities, which critics say harms students of color and students from poorer families.

Other complaints in the letter include students being told that they can't transfer out of the school, the technology center not being operable as advertised and concerns that the TIDE principal's friendship with Superintendent Mary Streshly is preventing necessary oversight.

School Board President Allen Weiner confirmed he and other board members received the letter on Feb. 11. The letter's author said that they speak for others and are not revealing their identities for fear of retaliation, but that the long list of concerns are "common knowledge to parents, students and staff."

"I write you (the school board) out of deep concern for the students and staff at TIDE Academy," the letter states. "The concerns I express in this letter have been previously shared with Dr. (Allison) Silvestri, TIDE Academy's principal, as well as the Sequoia District Teachers Association, by a variety of individuals to no avail."

Those opposed to tracking students connect it to older practices in the United States of separating students from upper-middle-class families from black or working class families within the same public schools, according to an Education Week article. Curriculum, which often decided which students were college material and which were destined for trade school or blue collar jobs, was developed based on what group the students fell into, according to the article.

In March, before the shelter-in-place order shut down in-person classes, Weiner said that in general, the board takes all forms of feedback about any of its sites "very seriously" and that what matters is the "tremendous degree of energy and enthusiasm at TIDE."

Weiner noted that TIDE was an ambitious, innovative project and the district is accomplishing a difficult feat: "creating a new public school on a new site and with a model that doesn’t exist." District officials recognized the need for additional administrative support by hiring Vice Principal Tina Smith, even though it's a small campus, he said.

"I'm feeling really good about the direction TIDE is going and delighted we had a full class of students (this school year) and another full class for the school’s second year," he said. "You talk to the kids and teachers and have a feeling that this is a school that has an innovative, ambitious model and provides an alternative to our students."

District spokesperson Ana Maria Pulido didn't answer questions about the grievances outlined above, but said that from "the very first day that TIDE Academy opened its doors, we have invested in providing the school with the necessary support to guarantee its success."

"As is the case with anything new, there are some very natural growing pains," she said in an email. "Our assistant superintendent of educational services, Bonnie Hansen, is personally taking the lead at the site. To date, she has not received any grievances."

Pulido said Vice Principal Smith has been working extensively with staff and students on a day-to-day basis and has not received any grievances from TIDE Academy.

However, Edith Salvatore, president of the Sequoia District Teachers Association, which represents teachers, librarians, counselors, nurses and others, said she heard concern expressed about "many" of the items enumerated in the letter and has communicated those concerns to the superintendent and district administrators throughout the year, "along with offers to collaborate to help clarify and improve some of the situations," she said in a March email.

The letter writer claims that school administrators have retaliated against staff members, while giving others preferential treatment.

"A number of teachers are waiting to get fired, not resulting from poor performance," but because they are not on a school administrator's "good side."

Opening of the school

Construction was still ongoing when TIDE Academy opened on a 2-acre site at 150 Jefferson Drive last fall.

"Some things have not gone quite the way we'd hope they had gone," Weiner said. "It's the first year of this venture – the facility came in late. There were certainly issues with facilities."

TIDE began with a freshman class of 106, chosen by lottery, according to Pulido. It will eventually grow to 400 students once grades nine through 12 are in place. The school's name is an acronym for technology, innovation, design and engineering – a nod to its mission of preparing students for STEAM careers. TIDE is located blocks away from Facebook and other high-tech corporations, most involved in health sciences, and their proximity could help students develop mentorships that extend into college, school officials have said.

There were a number of staff changes leading into, and at the beginning of, the school year. Two principals, a vice principal and founding teachers left the school before it opened last year.

On Feb. 26, the school board approved resignations of three TIDE staff members: an art teacher, school counselor and physical education teacher, effective on the last day of school. Pulido explained that resignations that appear on the board agenda under personnel action are initiated by the individual teacher.

"The district does not ask teachers to resign," she said. "That being said, if it is not working out for a teacher, the teacher could decide to resign rather than face a potential non-reelection. Temporary teachers are released annually. The District cannot release a tenured teacher except through a termination or a reduction in force."

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