Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Update Regarding Observance of March 31 State Holiday to Honor the Farmworkers Movement and Latino Civil Rights

The revelations surrounding Cesar Chavez are simultaneously shocking, disturbing, and heartbreaking. As a forever student and participant of the labor movement, I have experienced a mix of emotions and am deeply saddened.

I am also grateful for the courage of the survivors, including the iconic Dolores Huerta, who have come forward and bravely shared their stories. I encourage all Californians to give these brave individuals—and all survivors of abuse and assault—the support and the space that they need to heal.

In this moment, we hold two important things to be true: that the struggle to advance social and economic justice for working people is bigger than one man, and that the accounts of Chavez’s abuses are deeply troubling and must not be diminished.

We stand with survivors of violence, including and especially gender-based violence, which has no place in our society.

As the California Department of Education (CDE) prepares for the official state holiday recognized on March 31, we acknowledge that there is momentum in the State Legislature to rename this holiday this year as a broader recognition of the farmworkers movement, which continues to be highly relevant and necessary today. They are also discussing how the holiday may be modified in future years.

In anticipation of this change, the CDE is in the process of compiling and updating educational resources that can be used to support a change in our statewide observance to focus on the broader farmworkers movement. Following anticipated legislative action to change the March 31 state holiday, the CDE will share updated educational resources to support the new observance.

Schools and educators can anticipate web-posted educational resources that support teaching about the broader farmworkers movement.

We also recognize that multiple local educational agencies (LEAs) across California are grappling with important local decisions to make regarding school facilities named in honor of Chavez. The criteria and processes for naming and renaming school facilities are governed by the policies of LEAs. In many LEAs, this policy is BP 7310: Naming of Facility.

For resources to support violence and abuse, please visit the following web pages and resource hotlines:

• Child Abuse Identification and Reporting: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ss/ap/childabusereportingguide.asp
• Help for Students in Crisis: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/mh/studentcrisishelp.asp
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE or text HOPE to 64673

Thank you for everything that you do to create safe, supportive school environments for California students and to provide instruction that honors statewide observances and our California heritage.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction