Mold-fighting teacher helps school district clear the air
By Paula King
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Herman Bustamante Jr./Times
Liberty High School English teacher Tanya Smith has gotten sick this year at the Brentwood school while working in classrooms with mold and asbestos.
Audio: Smith on growing up in Brentwood (MP3)
Audio: Smith talks about mold, asbestos (MP3)
BRENTWOOD - It was a letter that arrived via certified mail from Erin Brockovich's law firm that convinced English teacher Tanya Smith to keep speaking out about safety and health issues on her campus.

The letter from Masry & Vititoe Law Offices made Smith realize the urgency of dealing with the mold and asbestos exposure on Brentwood's Liberty High School campus. At the same time, Cal-OSHA was in the process of fining the Liberty Union High School District $14,690 and issuing 13 citations for this matter.

"That made me think, well, if there is a statute of limitations and I'm not informing parents, then I become liable and part of the problem," Smith said of the letter, which came in late March.

Last winter, Smith suffered from a persistent cough and was later moved out of her classroom after two samples she collected came back positive for a toxic form of mold. This prompted the usually shy teacher to file a complaint with Cal-OSHA, which led to an investigation of the aging campus.

Her persistence in urging the school district to create an environmental plan and safety committee has branded her as "Tanya Brockovich" and a "whistle-blower" among Liberty faculty.

"This one (issue) seemed to have immediate health consequences, and then the long-term health consequences seemed very urgent as well," she said.

Upon hearing the recent news that Smith was being involuntarily transferred to Brentwood's new high school, students, teachers and community members have rallied around the 1996 Liberty graduate. They have been sporting stickers that read "Save Mrs. Smith," voicing their support at school board meetings and signing a petition in support of her remaining at Liberty.

"Tanya has shown great courage and tenacity in the face of tremendous adversity," said retired Liberty teacher Bill Batze. "This experience has made her a better teacher."

The young teacher of five years has been described by colleagues as dedicated, articulate and intelligent. Meanwhile, some have accused Smith of destroying Liberty's image and that has made the experience painful and isolating.

"Tanya's courage has been stunning through the entire ordeal and continues to be so," said Liberty English teacher Beth Decker. "Every step of the way she has been professional, dignified and fair."

Brentwood City Councilwoman and fellow Liberty teacher Ana Gutierrez remembers Smith as a Liberty classmate who helped her in student politics. Gutierrez described Smith as intelligent and hardworking, the kind of student who would feel bad about throwing off the grading curve for fellow classmates.

"If she believes in you or an idea, she believes in it wholeheartedly," Gutierrez said. "When Tanya saw that there was a need in our school for light to be shed on health and safety issues, one of the bravest things she did was point it out because it was the right thing to do morally."

She added that it is incredibly tough for someone as shy as Smith to be thrust into the spotlight over such a contentious issue and that most people don't realize how much research she has done to protect students, including her own sister, who is a Liberty junior.

Smith has been digging for answers and asking questions for years as a student and professional journalist. She wrote for several newspapers while attending Brigham Young University, including the Deseret News in Salt Lake City and the Daily Herald in Provo and even taught high school journalism.

As a reporter at the Fremont Argus, Smith investigated a lot of Brown Act violations. After doing so much research, Smith is now considering going to law school to practice advocacy law.

"She is a journalist. She knows how to find information and use it," Gutierrez said.

Part of the reason that Smith doesn't want to leave Liberty, though, is because she holds several leadership positions there. She is the shared governance council chairwoman, a small learning community coordinator, and has been instrumental in the Biz-Tech Academy's success.

Born in Singapore with half Filipino heritage, Smith's family settled in Union City when she was 5. Because of her worldly experiences, Smith didn't want to move to Brentwood as a teen or move there again as an adult.

"Your big goal in high school is to leave Brentwood," she said. "Now here I am trying to have a voice in the community and get the parents to rally on school issues. So it is ironic that I would do this."

Spending her teenage years in the once-small town of Brentwood was a tough transition for Smith. She described herself as someone who stood out among her peers.

"People who knew me back then remember me as being quiet," Smith said. "I went to a private college and felt like I needed to speak out more."

Within her family, Smith is known as the stubborn one. Students know her as a strict and regimented teacher who wants to prepare them for the real world.

Smith has appealed the Heritage High transfer to the school board and is awaiting a decision. District Superintendent Dan Smith said the transfer is not retaliatory.

"We share concern with the issues of health and safety that Tanya has brought to our attention," he said. "Certainly, health and safety of students and staff is the highest priority."

At last week's board meeting, David Weintraub, one of Smith's attorneys, asked the school district to reconsider its decision. Weintraub was retained by the California Teachers' Association on her behalf.

"People like her should be rewarded and be heroes or heroines in this community," he said.

Paula King covers education in far East County. Reach her at 925-779-7189 or pking@cctimes.com.

• NAME: Tanya Smith

• AGE: 28

• EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree, journalism and communications, Brigham Young University

• OCCUPATION: English teacher, Liberty High School

• RESIDENCE: Brentwood

• CLAIM TO FAME: Exposed the presence of mold and asbestos at the aging Brentwood campus, which led to a $14,690 fine for the Liberty Union High School District from Cal-OSHA
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