A Silicon Valley school district announced this week that it would pause a tens of thousands of dollars contract with an “energy healer” who provided meditation sessions for administrators after parents protested what they saw as a budget extravagance.
The Mountain View Whisman School District made the decision at a board meeting Thursday after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the 4,500-student K-8 school district was paying $189,000 in exchange for 160 meditation sessions to energy healer Alycia Diggs-Chavis.
District Superintendent Dr. Ayindé Rudolph told administrators and parents that they have decided to pause work with Diggs-Chavis and her company Blue Violet Energy after her current contract is complete.
Diggs-Chavis described herself on her website as a “master energy healer” who “uses sacred geometry and sound healing to successfully change lives.”
At Thursday night’s meeting, Rudolph attempted to downplay the spiritual nature of Diggs-Chavis’s work, saying the contract was for stress-related meditation, as far as he knew. Diggs-Chavis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“In meditation we focus on how to refocus ourselves so we can move forward. It’s not about energy or rocks,” Rudolph explained to the administrators.
Some trustees were surprised by the Chronicle article and the expensive Diggs-Chavis contract.
“I was taken aback. I was in shock because [Diggs-Chavis’] “Just as I wouldn’t invest in a chaplain for the school district, I wouldn’t invest in sound and energy healing,” said Devon Conley, president of the Board of Trustees.
Some defended the work that the energy healer had done.
“Alycia is my coach. I was on the verge of quitting a few years ago because of stress management,” said Principal Vern Taylor, who works at Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School. “I was on the verge of quitting, and meeting with her and having her teach me some strategies that I could use for wellness, but also some leadership strategies, was really, really beneficial… I understand that it’s a lot of money for our district to spend on leaders, but I think she’s a valuable resource and has helped me personally get through some very difficult times over the last few years.”
Frustration over the Diggs-Chavis contract arose amid other budget problems at the district, which suffers from a significant performance gap. In addition to the Diggs-Chavis contract, parents were also frustrated over a contract with a D.C. public relations firm worth more than $180,000 a year, as well as an in-house public records custodian who receives more than $200,000 a year.
“I don't think the parents are happy. I don't think the teachers are happy and I'm sure the taxpayers aren't happy either,” one parent said at Thursday night's meeting.
