Sunnyvale parents hold rally for transferred teachers

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (KGO) -- There was a last-ditch attempt Monday night to keep all the teachers at a South Bay school from being reassigned. It's an unprecedented move at West Valley Elementary in Sunnyvale.

Parents, students and teachers came together to say goodbye.

A hand-written sign hanging in front of the school says it all, "Our hearts our broken." It is a fitting description of the sentiment at West Valley, where the entire teaching staff is getting replaced.

Students chanted outside the school: "We love our teachers! West Valley is our home!"

The students came to rally, but it became clear, this gathering was more of a final farewell. Teachers who were told last week they're being reassigned to other schools are accepting their fate.

"I love this school, I love this community, I love the teachers and it's hard to just walk away from it," teacher Suzanne Matheny said.

The Cupertino Union School District says reassigning the principal and all of West Valley's 23 teachers will eliminate tension at the school, which according to some teachers stemmed from a wide range of changes implemented by the former principal. But the district refuses to give its version of events, citing personnel reasons, which is a sore spot among parents.

"If the President got on national television and said, 'There's tension, therefore we're going to war against Russia,' people would say 'What? You're kidding me right? We're going to do something drastic because there's quote-unquote tension?'" parent Michael McCreary said.

Despite the criticism, the school board stands behind the decision, which they say was made in the children's best interest.

"I liken it to a marriage. If parents are not getting along with each other, they try to hide from the children, but the children always know, and I think that's true in a school," school board president Phyllis Vogel said.

Parents have launched a Hail Mary -- a petition asking the district to reconsider. But for now, they are saying their goodbyes.