Richmond high school students protest firing of beloved teacher

RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- High school students in Richmond staged a day-long protest Monday over the firing of a beloved teacher.

The students are part of the Law Academy at De Anza High School and they demanded the West Contra Costa School District reverse a decision to fire a popular teacher.

"The main issue is that we want to keep the good teachers here and make sure they stay in their jobs and kick the bad teachers out," Quinton Taylor, a De Anza student, said.

De Anza's principal and the West Contra Costa school board decided not to renew the contract of probationary teacher Tahitia Dean, who is the director of the school's Law Academy.

"We went to the board, we tried many different alternatives and they haven't listened to us, so we're out here saying we have a voice. We want to make a change," De Anza student Kanar Anderson said.

Some parents think Dean's losing her job because she encourages students to speak up for themselves.

"In the Law Academy, the students are taught to address issues that present themselves, to not let bad situations continue," De Anza parent Jonothan Dumas said.

A spokesman for the West Contra Costa School District told ABC7 News, "While we value and respect the opinions of our students and parents, the ultimate responsibility for evaluating teachers lies with the principal and the district."

Visiting the school on another matter congressman Mark DeSaulnier stopped to address the students.

"I don't know the specifics, but you being here tells me a lot," he said. "If something happened that's unfair then you should be doing exactly what you're doing."

Dean could not be reached for comment, but her students are hoping the district has a change of heart about her termination.