{"id":250252,"date":"2026-04-03T16:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250252\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:19:09","slug":"silicon-valley-teachers-union-leader-faces-hostile-conduct-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250252\/","title":{"rendered":"Silicon Valley teachers union leader faces ‘hostile’ conduct complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Santa Clara County Office of Education has placed the leader of a teachers union on administrative leave over a whistleblower complaint about \u201chostile\u201d conduct \u2014 right as the union considers a strike.<\/p>\n

Association of County Educators (ACE) President Riju Krishna \u2014 who frequently speaks at Board of Education meetings<\/a> to advocate for better working conditions while at times criticizing leadership \u2014 is on paid leave for alleged \u201cracially insensitive\u201d behavior toward the office of education\u2019s Black administrators. The March 5 complaint alleges Krishna undermined two Black district leaders with racially suggestive and provocative comments, but notes Krishna is not alleged to have used explicitly racist language. One alleged subject of Krishna\u2019s conduct is Superintendent David Toston<\/a>, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

\u201cMs. Krishna frequently creates visible spectacles during public comment and has repeatedly quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a manner that appears intended to shame or provoke County Superintendent Dr. David Toston, rather than to engage in thoughtful dialogue,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n

The complaint further alleges employees reported hearing Krishna imply a lawyer for the office of education was behaving like an \u201cangry Black woman.\u201d It also states Krishna publicly questioned the credentials of another Black employee.<\/p>\n

The education office put Krishna on administrative leave in March, with some union members calling it retaliation. The union\u2019s teachers have been working without a contract since last summer and have sat through two bargaining sessions with no agreement. The union is exploring the possibility of going on strike amid a wave of layoffs<\/a> sparking concerns for student welfare and unmanageable class sizes. Krishna previously told this news outlet 95% of ACE members support a strike.<\/p>\n

Krishna declined to comment on the specifics of the whistleblower complaint amid the district\u2019s review.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver 24 years as a union member and educator, I have consistently stood as an advocate for students, working to elevate their voices and defend their right to equitable, meaningful education, in service of the students and the educators who serve them,\u201d Krishna told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n

\"\"Association of County Educators President Riju Krishna has been put on paid leave for allegedly making insensitive racial comments. Screenshot of Santa Clara County Board of Education meeting livestream.<\/p>\n

Some union members \u2014 who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation by the education office \u2014 are defending Krishna.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in contract negotiations. We have been working without a contract since last June. I believe that they\u2019re trying to scare us,\u201d one member told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cThey\u2019re saying, \u2018We put your president on paid administrative leave, we can do it to you too.\u2019 But all the allegations on that complaint are things she said in her capacity as president of the union. It had nothing to do with her as an (office of education) employee. This is a bunch of bulls\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other sources told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight that Krishna, while well-intentioned, has faced disagreements over her leadership style. They voiced concern that the timing of the education office\u2019s decision to put her on paid leave could undermine those critiques.<\/p>\n

The NAACP of San Jose\/Silicon Valley is getting involved, with leaders sending a demand to the education office on Wednesday to conduct a fair and independent investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not in a position to prejudge the outcome of any investigation, nor do we make accusations against any individual. That is not our role,\u201d President Sean Allen wrote. \u201cOur role is to ensure that when allegations of racial hostility in a public institution are made, they are taken seriously, investigated transparently, and resolved accountably.\u201d<\/p>\n

The office of education indirectly addressed Krishna\u2019s situation in a March 18 statement. Agency leaders said paid administrative leave isn\u2019t disciplinary or punitive, but is used when information warrants a formal review by an impartial \u2014 and potentially external \u2014 investigator.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The education office) respects the right of all employees to organize,\u201d Roger Gallizzi, assistant superintendent of human resources, said in the statement. \u201c(The education office) recognizes the importance of public participation at Santa Clara County Board of Education meetings and respects the right of employees and their representatives to speak during public comment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toston\u2019s office directed this news organization to the March statement when reached for comment.<\/p>\n

\"In-line
<\/a><\/p>\n

Krishna has been with the education office for 24 years as a teacher. She also teaches at the Opportunity Youth Academy. She serves in her union leadership role in a volunteer capacity, though ACE and California Teachers Association dues pay for her time off from teaching while doing union business.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is tireless. She\u2019s such an excellent teacher and is always working hard,\u201d former ACE President Tara Guerrero, who also teaches at Opportunity Youth Academy, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cShe\u2019s a huge advocate for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact Brandon Pho at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0or @brandonphooo on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Santa Clara County Office of Education has placed the leader of a teachers union on administrative leave…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[712,88,90,89,36999],"class_list":{"0":"post-250252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-centerpiece","9":"tag-san-jose","10":"tag-san-jose-headlines","11":"tag-san-jose-news","12":"tag-santa-clara-county-office-of-education"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}