GGUSD Welcomes Recently Imprisoned Human Rights Activist

Vietnamese prisoner of conscience along with his family and board members.

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) Board of Education President Lan Nguyen, Trustee Teri Rocco, and district administrators hosted a special meeting today to welcome to the district Pastor Nguyễn Công Chính, a Vietnamese prisoner of conscience, who was recently released from an 11-year sentence in Vietnam.  Chính is a Protestant Pastor as well as an activist for religious freedom, human rights, and democracy.  During his imprisonment, he and his family were subject to torture and abuse by the Communist regime in Vietnam.

District administrators met with Pastor Chính, his wife, and five children, who are enrolled in GGUSD elementary, intermediate and high schools.  The meeting was arranged to ensure the family is connected to all of the resources GGUSD offers to help students and families succeed.

“We are truly honored to welcome Pastor Chính and his family to our country and our school district,” said Board of Education President Lan Nguyen.  “GGUSD is committed to meeting the needs of our students, and ensuring they know our schools are safe places.”

GGUSD recently opened a Family Resource Center, which will provide an array of resources in areas like health care, homeless education assistance, immigration, legal advocacy, mental health counseling, and more. It will be staffed by community liaisons that speak multiple languages and are trained on serving the district’s diverse student population.