Alison Collins facts for kids

Alison M. Collins (born 1969/1970) was a leader on the San Francisco Board of Education. This board helps run the public schools in San Francisco. She served from January 7, 2019, until March 11, 2022.

In February 2022, people voted to remove her from her job. This is called a recall election. She was removed along with two other board members. This was the first time a school board member in San Francisco was recalled. It was also the first time any San Francisco official was recalled in over 100 years.

During her time on the board, Collins gained attention for several reasons. She supported changing the way students get into Lowell High School. She felt the old system was unfair. She also faced accusations of using hurtful language in old social media posts. These posts were about Asian Americans. Because of this, she lost her title as Vice President of the Board. She then sued the school district, but the lawsuit was later dismissed.

Collins was also involved in other big decisions by the board. These included trying to remove a famous mural and trying to rename many schools. She also faced criticism for how the board handled reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early Life and Education

Alison Collins earned a master's degree in education. She studied at San Francisco State University. Her father was one of the first African American professors at UCLA. Collins has shared that her parents went to public schools. She also identifies as a mixed-race person. In January 2022, she was 52 years old.

Early Career and Views

Before joining the school board in 2018, Collins worked as an educator for 20 years. She also wrote a blog called "San Francisco Public School Mom." She has openly criticized charter schools. She believes that systems based only on merit (or achievement) can be unfair. Interestingly, her own children attend Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. This is the only high school in San Francisco that still uses a merit-based system for admissions.

In 2016, Collins spoke out about bullying and racism. These issues happened at Francisco Middle School, where her daughter used to go. The principal's job contract was not renewed after these complaints. Collins later seemed to take credit for this in a social media post. However, the principal and two other school employees accused Collins of bullying. They said she created a difficult environment at schools her daughter attended.

San Francisco Board of Education

Collins was elected to the Board of Education in 2018. Many people ran for the position that year. During her time on the board, she became well-known for several issues. These issues were sometimes reported by news outlets around the world.

Social Media Posts

Before she was elected, Collins made some controversial posts on social media in 2016. In these posts, she used strong words when talking about Asian Americans. She claimed there was unfair treatment of Black people in the Asian American community at her daughters' school. She also accused some Asian American teachers and students of not discussing important topics like critical race theory.

In March 2021, these old posts were brought up again. This happened during a time when there was a rise in violence against Asian people. Many elected officials spoke out against Collins's posts. They asked her to step down from her position. These officials included Mayor of San Francisco London Breed and many city supervisors.

The school district's leaders also said Collins's words were "racist and hurtful." At a board meeting, Collins apologized for the posts. However, she did not specifically mention the Asian American community in her apology. She refused to resign and said her posts were taken out of context. She also did not delete the posts.

Because of this, other board members voted to remove her from her leadership roles. This included her title as Vice-President. Collins and one other commissioner voted against this decision.

Later, in November 2021, Collins said she regretted that her words caused pain. She still maintained that her posts were not racist. She felt her words were used against her by opponents.

Lawsuit Against the School Board

On March 31, 2021, Collins filed a large lawsuit. She sued the San Francisco Unified School District and five board members. These were the members who voted to remove her from her leadership roles. Her lawsuit claimed that the vote was unfair. She said it violated her freedom of speech. She also said it caused her stress and hurt her reputation. She wanted her old roles on the board back.

Legal experts were doubtful about her lawsuit. They said that school districts are often protected from such lawsuits. One expert from UC Berkeley Law said school districts are usually exempt from paying damages in civil rights cases. Another expert from Harvard Law School agreed the lawsuit would likely be dismissed. He said courts have more important things to do than settle political disagreements.

On August 16, 2021, a federal judge decided that Collins's lawsuit had no legal basis. The judge dismissed the case. Collins then dropped the lawsuit. She stated that she wanted to focus on the schools instead. Defending against her lawsuit cost the school district over $110,000 in legal fees. Collins later said she did not regret filing the lawsuit. She felt it "reaffirmed my presence on the board" and "protected my family."

Recall Election

A campaign started in February 2021 to remove Collins and two other commissioners from the Board of Education. This is called a recall election. By September 2021, the campaign had collected enough signatures. This meant a recall election would happen. It was set for February 15, 2022. This was the first recall election in San Francisco since 1983.

People who supported the recall said Collins and the other commissioners were not doing their jobs well. They were upset that public schools stayed closed in 2020-2021. Many other schools in the area had reopened. They also felt the board focused on less important issues, like renaming schools and changing admissions at Lowell High School. Meanwhile, students were struggling with online learning. Collins's social media posts and her lawsuit were also reasons for the recall.

Many local politicians supported the recall. These included Mayor London Breed and State Senator Scott Wiener. Local newspapers also supported removing Collins.

Collins called the recall campaign "politically motivated." She said it was an "attack on democracies" by "billionaires." She also stated, "I'm actually really proud of my work on the board."

Others disagreed with the recall. They felt it was a waste of money and time. They thought voters could just wait to vote on Collins's re-election later that year. The teacher's union also opposed the recall.

On February 15, 2022, Collins was removed from office. About 76% of voters chose to recall her. The other two commissioners on the ballot were also removed. This was the first time in San Francisco history that school board members were recalled. It was also the first successful recall of any San Francisco official since 1914. More people voted to remove the commissioners than had voted for them in 2018.

Personal Life

Alison Collins is married to Chris Collins. He works in real estate. Alison Collins also owns her own consulting company. The couple lives in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco with their daughters.

Building Issues

In April 2021, a complaint was made against Collins and her husband. It said they had illegally joined two apartments in their home without permission. City inspectors found that the complaint was true. The couple had also broken other building rules.

City records showed that a contractor had complained in 2018. The contractor said the Collinses would not let inspectors look inside their house. In September 2021, the city told the Collinses they had 30 days to fix the problems and pay fines. In March 2022, Collins and her husband submitted new plans. They aimed to make their home follow the rules.