S.F. principal delays vote results, saying winners aren’t diverse

Principal Lena Van Haren (center) chats with former students Kayla Rash (left) and Honesty Williams outside Everett Middle School in San Francisco, California, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015. Principal Lena Van Haren (center) chats with former students Kayla Rash (left) and Honesty Williams outside Everett Middle School in San Francisco, California, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015. Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close S.F. principal delays vote results, saying winners aren’t diverse 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

When San Francisco middle school principal Lena Van Haren saw which kids on her campus had been elected to the student council, she was disturbed at the lack of diversity among the winners. There were no Latino or black candidates chosen for the top four spots.

Her concern for a representative student government, given the preponderance of students of color at Everett Middle School in the Mission District, may have been understandable. What she did about it, however, swiftly raised a different kind of alarm.

Van Haren decided to withhold the results of the Oct. 9 election for more than a week, saying the school community needed to figure out how to have a more representative government.

“This is complex, but as a parent and a principal, I truly believe it behooves us to be thoughtful about our next steps here so that we can have a diverse student council that is truly representative of all voices at Everett,” she told parents in an e-mail Thursday.

Video: Controversy Over Lack Of Diversity In San Francisco Middle School Election

The response was immediate and at times vehement. Parents complained; students were angry. It appeared, some parents argued, that diversity was trumping democracy.

“My criticism of the Everett administration is their good intention got in the way of their common sense,” said parent Todd David. “It’s really, really disturbing to me that withholding the results somehow equals social justice or equity. That is where I totally disconnect. I’m like, ‘Whoa.’”

This was the first time in several years that Everett had held a student election. Votes were cast in homeroom, ensuring that all students voted. There was never any intent to cancel the election or nullify the results, Van Haren said Monday.

“We paused to have a conversation,” she said in an interview. “I never, ever said we wouldn’t share the results or they weren’t good enough.

“This is middle school. It’s not a presidential election,” she said. “It was not about hurting democracy or putting diversity over democracy.”

She said she wanted to wait until there was a plan — created with student input — to increase diversity among student leaders, perhaps by adding positions.

Yet such a route collided with an election process that many see as sacred — in which you don’t fiddle with or try to fix a vote, be it presidential or at a public school.

“The thing that’s so frustrating to me, as a parent and an engaged citizen, is you release the results and then you form committees,” David said. “How can you say, ‘In the name of social justice, we’re going to withhold election results’?”

Under pressure from parents and the district administration, the principal announced the election results Monday afternoon, going class to class with the information.

While there was some diversity among the 10 winners, no English learners were elected, even though they make up about a third of enrollment. African American and Latino students were underrepresented, while white, Asian and mixed-race students, who are in the minority at the school, took the top four spots.

“It’s not OK for a school that is really, really diverse to have the student representatives majority white,” Van Haren said. “The easy thing would have been to announce the results and move on. I intentionally did not choose the easy way because this is so important.”

Several parents vocally supported their principal, saying she had touched on a critical concern.

“I think the principal is great,” said Melissa Daar Carvajal, who has two sons in sixth grade at the school. “I think for me, I’m really glad the school went through the election and kids selected representatives and now they’re looking at how to represent underrepresented students.”

Carvajal said the student election mirrored the real world, where those with more resources and support are more likely to win and wield power.

“Here we are in a school and the same thing happens,” she said. “They’re living in the real world at Everett.”

District officials called the whole situation “a learning opportunity.”

“There are other ways to include all voices,” said school board President Emily Murase. “I think that’s what the school administration is looking into, how to do that.”

Van Haren acknowledged Monday that while she stands behind her effort to increase diversity in student leadership, there was probably a better way to do it.

“Of course I look back and we should have communicated the winners right away,” she said. “I could never have predicted things would get to this point.

“I think,” she added, “it still can be a teachable moment.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @jilltucker