SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A petition created by a local school community is calling for the removal of a newly appointed staff member who has a controversial past concerning transgender students. Her role focuses on supporting African American students, but some are saying she is not qualified for the role.  Community members and parents are calling for the San Francisco Unified School District to reconsider their most recently appointed Black family liaison at James Lick Middle School, Josephine Zhao. “The district is not really thinking of their actions,” said Ana Avilez, a parent at James Lick. ”How it will impact our students of color. I feel it’s a slap in the face to the Black community.” Avilez told KRON4 she and others were stunned in August to learn of Zhao being placed in this newly created position for its Black students.  SJSU volleyball captain demands removal of transgender athlete “Has this person been able to connect with our Black students? Have the parents been able to connect with her? Have there been any workshops? So I’m kind of focusing on the outcomes of what the school council had requested or wanted to work on. And I can’t even get those answers,” Avilez said.     And Zhao has a controversial past. In 2018, she quit her race to become a school board member after it was discovered she had made transphobic remarks. “I’m part of a trans family, and so thinking about my kids that are gonna be going to that school, I don’t want someone that believes my kids could be a danger,” Avilez said.  The petition and Avilez say the appointed Black family liaison position was created with someone else in mind, Ute Releford, a current teacher who has worked in the district for over a decade.  “Black students have been failed time and time again,” Releford said. “And to have somebody in that position that wholeheartedly understands, recognizes, feels not just the joy, but the pain, the struggle and the success is on a whole ‘nother level.”   Releford says the students need someone who knows and understands them. She added that it is not just about Zhao’s race, her intentions in taking this role are a concern too. “My question is, knowing the statements that she has made in the past, why would you think putting her in this position is any better?” Relaford said.  KRON4 also reached out to SFUSD regarding these concerns raised by the school community, and they said they can not comment on personnel matters. When asked if they had a comment for concerned families and students, we did not receive a response.