Alison Collins facts for kids

Alison M. Collins, born in 1969 or 1970, is a former commissioner for the San Francisco Board of Education. She served on the board from January 7, 2019, until February 15, 2022. On that date, voters decided to remove her from office in a special election. She was voted out by 76% of the people, which was the highest percentage among the three commissioners recalled that day.

Alison Collins and two other commissioners were the first school board members ever to be recalled in San Francisco's history. She was also the first San Francisco official to be recalled in over 100 years. The last time this happened was in 1914 with State Senator Edwin Grant.

During her time on the board, Collins gained national attention for several reasons. One was her role in changing the admissions policy at Lowell High School. She argued that the old system, which was based on merit, was unfair. She also faced accusations of using offensive language herself in some social media posts from 2016. These posts were aimed at Asian Americans. Because of these statements, she lost her title as vice president of the Board on March 25, 2021. She then filed a large lawsuit against the school district, but a judge later dismissed it.

Collins was also involved in other important decisions made by the school board. These included trying to remove a mural called Life of Washington, attempting to rename 44 schools, and not hiring a consultant to help reopen schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions led to lawsuits from different groups, and even a lawsuit from the city itself.

Early Life and Education

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

Early Career and Views

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

In 2016, Collins raised concerns about bullying and unfair treatment at Francisco Middle School. Her daughter used to attend this school. After her complaints, the principal's contract was not renewed. In a social media post from 2017, Collins seemed to suggest she was responsible for this outcome. However, the former principal and two other school district employees later accused Collins of bullying. They said she created a difficult environment at schools her daughter attended.

Time on the San Francisco School Board

Alison Collins was elected to the San Francisco Board of Education in 2018. She was chosen from a group of 19 candidates. During her time on the board, she became well-known for several important and sometimes debated decisions. These events were even reported by news outlets around the world.

Major Board Decisions

In 2019, Collins voted with other board members to remove the Life of Washington mural at George Washington High School. The mural, painted by Viktor Arnautoff, showed scenes of slavery and Native Americans. Many people found these images upsetting. After a lot of public discussion, the board decided to cover the mural instead of destroying it. Collins, along with two other commissioners, voted against covering it. She said the mural was "not historic" but a "relic" from the past. She also stated that valuing property over people of color is a sign of "white supremacy culture."

Collins and other board members also worked to rename 44 schools. These schools were named after people or places thought to be linked to racism or unfairness. This effort caused a lot of discussion. It was later revealed that "volunteers" without historical training did the research for the renaming. The list of schools included those named after presidents on Mount Rushmore and California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Collins explained that the goal was not to erase history. Instead, it was to "create space for new people who deserve to be celebrated." She added that everyone would still know who George Washington and Lincoln were.

In February 2021, Collins voted with the majority to change the admissions policy at Lowell High School. The school moved from a merit-based system to a lottery system. Collins called the old system "racist." She said that "merit" and "standardized test" scores are unfair systems. Critics pointed out that Collins's own children attended a merit-based high school. A writer for Newsweek argued that calling merit "racist" could be seen as unfair to people of color.

Collins and other school board members were criticized by Mayor London Breed for not reopening schools during the pandemic. In 2020, the district tried to hire a consultant to help reopen schools. However, the board blocked this plan. Collins compared the consulting firm to a "crime syndicate." She also said that hiring them would be "perpetuating white supremacy."

During a meeting on February 9, 2021, the school board discussed whether a gay teacher should join a parent advisory committee. He was the father of a biracial child. The board questioned if he would add diversity, as he was white. Collins strongly felt he should not be appointed. This discussion lasted two hours, even though other important issues like school reopening needed attention. The board eventually rejected the candidate.

Controversial Social Media Posts

Before she was elected to the school board in 2018, Alison Collins made some controversial posts on social media on December 4, 2016. In these posts, she used offensive language when talking about Asian Americans. She claimed there was unfair treatment of Black people by some Asian Americans at her daughter's school. She also accused some Asian American teachers, students, and parents in the San Francisco Unified School District of promoting harmful ideas. She suggested they were trying to fit in and "get ahead" using ideas that support "white supremacy."

In her posts, Collins wrote that many Asian students and teachers would not discuss important topics about race unless they saw how they were personally affected. She also said that many Asian Americans believed they benefited from certain myths. She wrote that some Asian American teachers, students, and parents actively promoted these myths. She felt they used ideas that support "white supremacy" to fit in and "get ahead." She mentioned that some parents praised "Tiger Moms" and spoke negatively about Black and Brown cultures. She also noted that some social media feeds of her former high school friends were mostly filled with White and Asian people, with no mention of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Collins shared an incident where her mixed-race/Black daughter heard Asian American boys teasing a Latino student about "Trump, Mexicans and the KKK." Her daughter spoke up when no staff did. Collins questioned why more Asian Americans were not speaking out against certain issues. She ended by saying that being seen as "the help" is still being seen as "the help."

In March 2021, a group working to recall Collins brought these old posts back into public discussion. This happened during a time when there was a rise in violence against Asian people. By March 21, 2021, almost two dozen elected officials had spoken out against the posts. They called for Collins to resign. These officials included Mayor of San Francisco London Breed, most of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and several state politicians. Many San Francisco political groups also joined in.

On March 22, 2021, the school district's leadership team condemned Collins's "racist and hurtful language." At a board meeting on March 23, 2021, Collins apologized for the posts. However, she did not specifically mention the Asian American community in her apology. Collins refused to resign and said her posts were taken out of context. She also did not delete the posts. On March 25, 2021, two other commissioners proposed a vote to remove Collins from her leadership roles. The board approved this vote 5-2, taking away Collins's titles, including Vice-President, and her roles in any committees.

In November 2021, Collins expressed regret that her words had caused pain to the Asian American community. She continued to say that her posts were not racist. She believed her words were used by opponents for other reasons. Collins stated that people should look at who brought up her old posts and why, especially during a time when Asian Americans were experiencing fear and pain.

Lawsuit Against the School Board

On March 31, 2021, Collins filed a large lawsuit against the San Francisco Unified School District. She also sued the five board members who had voted to remove her from her leadership roles because of her social media posts. The lawsuit claimed that the vote violated her rights, including her freedom of speech. It also stated that the vote caused her distress, humiliation, and financial losses. She asked the court to restore her previous roles on the Board.

On April 4, 2021, her lawyer said the lawsuit aimed to stop what he called lies about the posts. He compared Collins's words to those of Malcolm X, saying she was calling for unity among all people facing unfair treatment.

Many legal experts were doubtful about the lawsuit's chances. A dean from UC Berkeley Law said that California school districts are usually protected from paying damages in civil rights cases. A professor from Harvard Law agreed that the lawsuit would likely be dismissed. He said that courts have more important things to do than solve political disagreements, especially when children's education is at stake. A similar lawsuit in 2010, Blair vs. Bethel School District, was lost at every court level.

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

Recall Election

On February 21, 2021, a campaign began to remove Collins and two other commissioners from the Board of Education. On September 7, 2021, the campaign submitted over 81,200 signatures to remove Collins. On October 18, 2021, city officials confirmed that enough signatures were valid (at least 51,325). This meant a recall election would happen on February 15, 2022. It was the first recall election in San Francisco since an attempt to remove Mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1983.

People who supported the recall accused Collins of not doing her job well. They were upset that public schools stayed closed in 2020-2021 while other schools in the area reopened. They also said Collins focused on less important issues, like renaming schools and Lowell High School admissions, while students struggled with online learning. The recall supporters also mentioned Collins's social media posts and her lawsuit against the school district as reasons to remove her.

Many local politicians and officials supported the recall. These included Mayor London Breed, State Senator Scott Wiener, and several city supervisors. Local newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner also supported the recall.

Collins called the recall campaign "a move toward mayoral control" and "less local control" for parents. She said the campaign was "politically motivated." She believed that if certain people were upset, it meant she was "doing the right thing." She also stated that the recall was "an attack on democracies" planned by "billionaires" and conservative groups. She said she was "really proud of my work on the board."

Critics of the recall said the election was a waste of money and time. They argued that voters could simply vote on Collins's re-election nine months later in November 2022. Some people were also against recalls in general. Opponents of the recall included former Assembly Member Tom Ammiano and Supervisors Shamann Walton and Dean Preston. The teachers' union, United Educators of San Francisco, also opposed the recall.

On February 15, 2022, Collins was removed from office by 76% of the vote. The other two commissioners on the ballot were also removed. These three commissioners became the first school board members ever to be recalled in San Francisco's history. It was the first successful recall of a San Francisco official since 1914. About 36% of eligible voters participated in the election. More people voted to remove the commissioners than had voted for them in 2018. Most voters in every neighborhood in San Francisco supported removing Collins.

Personal Life

Alison Collins is married to Chris Collins, who works in real estate development. Alison Collins also owns a consulting company that receives income from her husband's company. The couple lives in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco with their daughters.

Home Renovation Issues

In April 2021, the San Francisco Planning Department received a complaint about Collins and her husband. The complaint stated they had illegally combined two apartments in their home without a permit. City inspectors found that the complaint was true. They also found that the couple had broken other building permit rules.

City records show that in 2018, a contractor had complained that the Collinses would not let city inspectors look inside their house. On September 14, 2021, the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection gave the Collinses 30 days to fix the problems and pay fines. In March 2022, Collins and her husband submitted plans to make their basement a separate living unit. This was done to follow the city's rules.