📌 Update: Sonja Travick’s Hearing Rescheduled to May 2, 2025 — Keep Supporting

After 32 years of service as a dance educator, student mentor, and cultural leader in Oakland public schools, Sonja Travick is now fighting to continue doing the work she has dedicated her life to.

She is facing termination over a campus driving incident. It was neither reckless nor malicious, but is now being used to justify a deeply disproportionate response.

We need your voice!

OUSD has scheduled Sonja’s hearing for 10:00 AM on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
We aim to deliver as many signatures as possible by that morning to show public support and solidarity.

Please sign and share this petition by 10:00 AM April 24 if you’re able.

Signatures will continue to be welcomed beyond that date as the process unfolds.

Your voice matters. Your signature counts.

What happened?

On January 17, 2024, Sonja was driving through Oakland Tech’s campus, a long-standing and common practice for staff. As students crossed the path, her vehicle allegedly made contact with one student’s ankle. The student received medical care. 
 
Sonja immediately stopped, brought the student to the nurse, and fully cooperated with school staff.

As a dance educator, Sonja has spent her career helping students explore their bodies as sources of power, creativity, and expression. The fact that a student was harmed, even unintentionally, deeply affected her. She expressed sincere remorse and concern.

There is no evidence of recklessness. No policy violation. No attempt to flee.

Yet, she was terminated and only later granted a hearing. That hearing is now scheduled more than 15 months after the incident, raising serious concerns about due process and fairness.

A human cost.

This ordeal has deeply impacted Sonja’s physical and mental health.
Being publicly labeled “unfit” after three decades of mentorship, without a fair process, has taken a toll on her well-being. It has also disrupted the cultural and emotional space she once created for students.
She is not just fighting for her job — she’s fighting for her peace, her dignity, and her ability to serve.

Why this matters?

Sonja is not just an educator. She is a cultural advocate, union leader, and a mentor to generations of Oakland students.
She has:

• Founded Oakland’s first student-led multicultural dance festival
• Served as a department chair and advocate for arts equity
• Uplifted thousands of students, especially Black girls and youth navigating systemic barriers
  Since her removal:
• Students have lost access to vital dance and cultural arts opportunities
• The programs Sonja built have not been meaningfully replaced

A unique space for movement, expression, and community has been disrupted.

Her personnel file reflects decades of strong evaluations and impact. This is not just a staff change. It is a cultural and educational loss.

A pattern worth noticing.

Sonja is a veteran Black educator, a union representative, and a consistent voice for student-centered practices. She has spoken out about inequities in leadership and advocated persistently for the wellbeing of students and staff.

Now, one unfortunate incident, which she met with care and accountability, is being used to remove her.
This raises serious concerns about whether this is truly about safety, or whether it reflects a deeper pattern of retaliation and erasure.

How you can help?

Sample Message:

“I’m writing in support of Sonja Travick, a respected Black dance educator and student mentor.
She responded to a campus incident with responsibility and care. Removing her is not a fair or proportionate response. Please reinstate her and protect the integrity of education in Oakland.”

Letters of support

Please email your letter directly to the district leadership at Tara.Gard@ousd.org and cc standwithsonja@gmail.com so we can keep track of community responses.

If you prefer, you can also send your letter only to standwithsonja@gmail.com, and we will include it in the materials submitted before the hearing.

Final word.

This is not about denying harm. It’s about whether we can hold care for students and care for educators together — with accountability, not erasure.

Sonja Travick responded with remorse and responsibility. She deserves reflection.
She deserves to continue the work she has done with grace, discipline, and love for 32 years.