Silicon Valley school district pauses contract with 'energy healer' after parental concern

A Silicon Valley school district has announced it is halting a costly contract with an "energy healer" following backlash from parents who viewed the expenditure as excessive. The Mountain View Whisman School District decided to pause its $189,000 agreement with Alycia Diggs-Chavis, who provides meditation sessions for administrators, after the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the contract.

The decision was made at a Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, where Superintendent Dr. Ayindé Rudolph informed attendees that the district would cease working with Diggs-Chavis and her company, Blue Violet Energy, once the current contract concludes.

Diggs-Chavis, described on her website as a "master energy healer" using "Sacred Geometry and Sound Healing," has faced scrutiny from some trustees who were startled by both the reported cost and the nature of her services. Rudolph attempted to clarify that the contract was intended for stress-related meditation, not spiritual practices, and emphasized that it was focused on stress management rather than "energy or rocks."

Trustee Devon Conley expressed surprise, saying, "I was taken aback by [Diggs-Chavis'] website… I wouldn’t invest in sound and energy healing any more than I would in a chaplain for the district."

Despite the controversy, some defended Diggs-Chavis' work. Principal Vern Taylor of Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary spoke positively about the personal benefits he experienced, noting that the coaching helped him manage stress and improve leadership strategies, though he acknowledged the high cost.

The dissatisfaction over the contract with Diggs-Chavis is part of broader budgetary concerns in the district, which faces a significant achievement gap. Parents have also voiced frustration over other expenses, including a $180,000 annual contract with a D.C. public relations firm and an in-house public records custodian earning over $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 about it," said one parent at the meeting.