Schools

Saratoga Native, Dublin Schools Trustee Killed In Campus Crash

Catherine Kuo was a longtime resident, wife and mother of two who had a passion for her faith and shaping a better future for students.

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Catherine Kuo was a Bay Area native who had long lived and volunteered in the city of Dublin since moving there with her husband in 1999, according to her bio.
Catherine Kuo was a Bay Area native who had long lived and volunteered in the city of Dublin since moving there with her husband in 1999, according to her bio. (Dublin Unified School District)

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin Unified School District Trustee Catherine Kuo was killed Wednesday in a car crash at Fallon Middle School.

Kuo, 48, was volunteering at a food distribution event on campus when she was hit by a car around 11:45 a.m. in front of the school at 3601 Kohnen Way, according to police and school officials. She was standing behind a car when she was struck and pinned between two cars, Dublin Police Services said in a news release.

Paramedics immediately began providing medical treatment upon their arrival and transported her to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where she succumbed to her injuries.

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Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor, though the cause remains under investigation, police said. No arrests were made.

"There is a gaping hole in our hearts," wrote DUSD Interim Superintendent Daniel Moirao in a letter to the schools community. "Our schools, students, staff, and families are forever indebted to her."

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A GoFundMe online fundraiser created Wednesday night to benefit Kuo's family had already raised $37,000 as of Thursday morning.

"Catherine was a great example of grace, kindness, and intelligence," wrote fundraiser organizer Kerrie Chabot. "She was grounded in her faith."

Kuo was first elected to the Area 3 seat in Nov. 2019 after serving as a longtime volunteer in the community. Fallon Middle is among the schools within the Area 3 boundaries.

She was re-elected to serve a full term through 2024. Kuo had two children in the school district, according to her bio on the DUSD website.

Tuesday marked the first time in a year that Kuo and her colleagues returned to an in-person board meeting.

Today marks our first day back in the board room, in-person, for the 2020-21 school year. Due to COVID restrictions, our community will continue to join us virtually for our Board of Trustees meetings.
Posted by Dublin Unified School District on Tuesday, March 23, 2021

The Redwood City native was born to parents who immigrated to America from Korea, and was raised in Saratoga. She lived in Dublin for more than 20 years with her husband and held a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, according to her bio.

Kuo was passionate about creating better opportunities for local students, including girls and minority students, according to her bio.

Her professional background was in human resources and recruiting, business analysis and retail planning management, according to her bio.

"When she is not talking to parents, staff and students, and preparing for and attending board meetings, she loves getting lost in books, gathering with friends, watching movies with her family, and finding creative ways to teach her children to be responsible and to be kind," her bio said.

Tributes to Kuo's life and legacy quickly began to pour out Wednesday as word of her death spread in the Tri-Valley community.

Her colleagues on the board said in a statement that they would miss her kind spirit, love of family and community, and passion for connecting with people.

"She worked tirelessly to make a difference in our schools and our community," they wrote. "She was a wonderful role model of leadership for our Asian American and Pacific Islander students. Her dedication to the mission of DUSD was obvious to all who knew her, and as a board, we are better for having served with her."

Interim Superintendent Moirao remembered Kuo as a dedicated community member and trustee, and a friendly, nurturing, kind and generous woman who "had a lightness about her, a comforting manner that helped people feel at ease." She poured her heart, soul and time into DUSD, he wrote.

"We were lucky to have known her and will miss her more than words can express," Moirao wrote.

The Alameda County Office of Education called Kuo a "dedicated public servant who led with kindness and a heart for students and families."

"Her compassion and commitment will be profoundly missed," the office wrote.

KPIX reporter Andrea Nakano captured residents setting up candles as a memorial for the trustee.

Dublin City Councilmember Jean Josey recalled Kuo's "compassion, her kindness, and her willingness to not just advocate, but act, for the betterment of others" on Twitter.

Arun Goel, Dublin's former Vice Mayor and current representative of the Dublin San Ramon Services District board, called the loss of Kuo "immense beyond words not only for the family, but the entire Dublin community." She was a colleague and friend, he said in a tweet.

Fellow DUSD trustee Gabi Blackman called Kuo a dear friend in an email to Patch.

"The community is truly devastated by the news of her loss," she wrote.

The district was not immediately able to provide details on the replacement process for Kuo.

DUSD invited staff and students in need of support to contact Alameda County Crisis Support services at 800-260-0094 for grief counseling at 800-309-2131 for the 24-hour crisis line. People may also contact The Hume Center in Pleasanton at 925-223-8047 or the grief hotline at 800-837-1818.

The fatal crash at Fallon Middle comes just a few months after a janitor there was found dead. Police said at the time that fentanyl was found at the scene and another janitor — his fiancee, as KRON reported — was found unresponsive.

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