California school board member loses it when staff uses word ‘homeless’ instead of ‘unhoused’
A Pajaro Valley Unified School District board meeting with attendees and board members. Pajaro Valley Unified School District
A California school-board leader erupted after a staff presentation referred to students as “homeless” instead of “unhoused,” saying she was “personally offended” by the term.
“I have a lot to say, and I will speak plainly. And you may not like it,” said Pajaro Valley Unified School District Vice President Joy Flynn during a recently resurfaced clip of the Jan. 14 meeting.
“I am personally offended by what was presented,” she added, according to the video.
The controversy began during a “Report on Student Achievement” delivered by Assistant Superintendent Michael Berman, who described a group of students as “homeless.” Flynn interrupted, insisting the board use the term “unhoused” instead. Another board member pointed out that “homeless” is the official language used by the state of California.
“I’m not done,” Flynn replied. “That doesn’t mean that’s the language we have to use.”
Flynn also objected to Berman’s statement that the district did not have enough Black students to be considered “statistically significant” in several state measures, including graduation rates and “college and career” categories. Berman had shown that Black students had the highest suspension rates in the district, despite making up less than 1% of enrollment.
“I’m personally offended by that,” Flynn said. “If we have one Black student, that student is statistically significant enough to be on the report.”
The North American Values Institute, which monitors education policy across the U.S., criticized Flynn’s response in comments to Fox News Digital.
“Changing language that functions to help us understand urgency and truth—in order to reduce stigma, cater to feelings, and be ‘politically correct’—is a dangerous path,” a spokesperson said. “In K-12 education, it could lead to decisions that divert resources or interventions away from the students who need them most.”
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