Update 3/5/08: This post now has 2,003 comments! However, it has exceeded the capacities of our server and has been truncated recently at about 1,529 posts. But one of our readers has stepped up to the plate and painstakingly copied all of the comments into three NEW posts:
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2008 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2007 Comments
- SAUSD-Mijares corruption thread, 2006 Comments
We have also started a NEW open SAUSD thread, which I hope our readers will post to regarding new SAUSD news and views.
You can also go to our home page and go to the right column. Click on “SAUSD Posts” and you can get links to ALL of our past SAUSD articles.
I must say, I am amazed at the stories that have been posted on this blog in the wake of Al Mijares’ exit from the Santa Ana Unified School District. I am posting this item merely to give SAUSD bloggers a place to post their comments. Post away my friends – we have an opportunity now to finally do away with the corruption left over from the Mijares regime. Change is at hand, but we must remain resolute.
I noted that someone affiliated with the SAUSD administration recently posted a threat on this site – alleging possible legal action against SAUSD employees who post anonymously on this site. That is despicable and a form of terrorism. Do not let fear restrain any of you from revealing the truth.
The final challenge we face in Santa Ana is to replace Mijares with someone competent. We won’t have another opportunity like this anytime soon. This process must be open and focused and whatever else happens we must keep Audrey Noji out of the Superintendent’s position. As a member of the Cerritos College faculty and a member of the teacher’s union at that campus I opposed her when she tried to get a job at our campus. If she goes after the SAUSD superintendent post I will do so again. I know we can do better!
All of my children are in the SAUSD system. For their sake and that of all schoolchildren in the district, I urge those who are rebelling against the last vestiges of Mijares’ broken empire to keep the information flowing and to do whatever it takes to ensure that our next superintendent will be up to the task. Mijares certainly was over his head throughout his doomed tenure.
#1578
In responsive districts, they have the school site and the complete list of personnel with their email addresses, so that a parent, teacher, student or community member can email the person directly without having to guess if the email name is spelled properly, etc…
Until SAUSD actively invites communication from all levels, any “improvements” should be treated with caution.
Here is something the folks in Santa Ana who want great schools need to chew on.
The return of the Valley staff from Godinez back to Valley was a bit hectic the first couple of weeks because first, there was some poor planning on the part of the Valley administration and second, such moves are inherently difficult no matter how well the move was pre planned.
After three weeks things began to settle down when the word came down from the District Office carried by Bob Nelson, the interim Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education (who replaced Louis the Lump Bratcher) telling the Valley Administration that they didn
What can be done about Juan Lopez’ practice of building up a false case against staff he doesn’t like in order to send it into the credentialing department to try and get the teacher’s credential revoked?
He’s done it on many occasions and he uses it as a threat to control teachers who bring issues of health, safety and legality to him.
This practice should be looked into. It smacks of criminal intent.
#1581
Noji needs to go! Noji negotiated the return of Russo to SAUSD with the promise of ascending to Supt. this alone makes Russo beholden to Noji. This is not how the fifth largest school district in the state should be run. It’s time to reject Noji’s backroom deal with Russo. They both must be removed.
It’s utterly staggering that teachers and students must petition the BoE for more teachers due to overcrowded conditions. Our tax dollars are not meant to be pinched to such lengths that students are penalized with insufficient resources. As tax payers we should all be outraged!
How many special ed students are at Segerstrom? Godinez? Saddleback? and Santa Ana HS?
It’s imperative the district disclose these enrollment figures
because this smells like a violation of civil rights under the right for equality in education.
Trigg, Lopez and Nelson must be removed as well.
Today’s paper carried an article about the Santa Ana council attempting to quiet three OJ bloggers. It’s important for SAUSD posters to know that school board president, Rob Richardson and High School Inc. board member Mike Metzler, were instrumental in petitioning Mayor Pulido to strip the 3OJ bloggers from their city commissioner posts for daring to expose the wrong doings of Pulido, Carlos Bustamante, David Benevides and Dave Ream.
It’s been reported that Richardson is annoyed with the growing clout of the OJ and would like to see it dismantled. Did Richardson agree to join forces with certain community activists to lower the boom on the OJ?
Yes, he did.
Unfortunately, Richardson has his priorities mixed up. He has no business forcing accountablility on a free speech issue, however he should be holding Supt. Russo accountable for the current classroom crisis: overcrowded classrooms, shortage of textbooks and desks, and not enough teachers to instruct.
As for Mike Metzler – how many students are registered at High School Inc?
It’s important for the non-Santa Ana resident to understand the sickly relationship between the city and SAUSD; the mayor’s political machinery elects the board majority. That’s how we got saddled with Richardson, Noji and Avila.
******* READ ***************
Santa Ana council trying to quiet bloggers
Three city board members and commissioners who write for orangejuiceblog.com have been asked to be less critical of city officials.
By Jennifer Delson
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 1, 2007
Some Santa Ana council members have told three bloggers who sit on city boards and commissions to tone down their criticisms of city officials.
The bloggers, who write for http://www.orangejuiceblog.com, often use inflammatory language and innuendo. They have attacked the motives of city officials, questioned whether favoritism influenced the awarding of city contracts, and criticized officials who don’t live in the city. The comments have led some readers to chime in with even greater rancor, including a woman who claimed to be the former wife of a city official.
“If there are board members that are attacking other board members or commissioners . . . that is a concern,” said Councilman David Benavides. “It’s no secret that these people were indirectly asked to tone it down. We don’t have any right to tell anyone what they can and cannot say, but we can say what we think is reasonable.”
Councilwoman Michele Martinez has asked the blog’s founder, Art Pedroza, to stop his writing or resign from the Housing and Redevelopment Commission. Martinez appointed him to the commission.
The council, Martinez said, had asked her and Councilman Sal Tinajero “to tell our commissioners to shape up.” Tinajero appointed the two other bloggers, Planning Commissioner Sean Mill and Thomas Gordon, who sits on the Early Prevention and Intervention Commission, which was established to combat gang violence.
Martinez fears that if Pedroza does not resign, the council could boot him from his position. City commissioners and board members serve at the council’s pleasure.
Pedroza said he would not resign.
“They will have to dismiss me,” he said. “Their complaints, for the most part, don’t reflect my performance as a commissioner but their disagreement with my writings. They knew we were bloggers when they appointed us, and they knew Santa Ana was the focus on the blog.”
Councilman Carlos Bustamante said Pedroza and the others were warned that as commissioners they should not make personal attacks on city officials in the blog.
Mill said Tinajero called him after a Sept. 21 council meeting and warned him “not to post anything that is a lie,” but “I haven’t done that,” Mill said. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Everything I’ve written is based on hard facts, and I don’t intend to stop.”
Gordon said that although Tinajero talked to him about his blogging, the councilman was more concerned about Gordon’s behavior at the Early Prevention and Intervention Commission. Gordon said the councilman told him that “I should stop acting out. I shouldn’t make a stupid face when I’m at public meetings. I need to conduct myself in a more professional manner.”
Gordon said city officials and former and current city employees, whom he wouldn’t name, told him that “the word is that if I don’t stop writing certain things, they will take away my position. They want to shut us up.”
Tinajero said he was concerned that the bloggers demonstrated no “sense of decorum that people should have when they represent the city,” but at the same time, he didn’t feel their free speech rights should be limited.
The attempt to quiet the bloggers demonstrates the increasingly vocal opposition to the traditional power structure in Santa Ana, where critics usually have stayed in the background.
“We’ve been the first ones to come along and talk, and speak about things that people call taboo, about things people prefer to bury,” Pedroza said. “That’s why what we are doing seems so outrageous.”
Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, associate professor of public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, said members of boards and commissions retain their 1st Amendment rights, which include blogging.
Blogging is “the democratization of the media, but it means more noise. It’s a whole new game, and it’s a game that is much more messy,” he said. “Compare this to a previous time when there were a known number of media outlets where [politicians] could call and even ask not to have certain stories run.” Bustamante said he thinks bloggers have free speech rights but, like anyone else, must maintain professionalism if they sit on a city commission.
“We appoint our representatives to represent us,” Bustamante said. “If they don’t agree with us and they don’t want to be part of the solution, they shouldn’t be on these commissions.”
Tim Rush, co-chairman of the Wilshire Square Neighborhood Assn., said he warned Mayor Miguel Pulido about appointing bloggers to city posts. Rush felt they were too critical of the city. Pulido did not return calls for comment.
Rush said Pulido told him, “Maybe this gives [the bloggers] the chance to catch some rocks instead of throwing them.”
jennifer.delson@latimes.com
The litigation expense is huge mostly due to admin. arrogance. The district will ignore you if you don
Disturbing talk out of Loren Griset. The ELD department is under the direct supervision of Pat Machado AND Evelyn Carrigg? Since when? WHO made that decision?
Evelyn is a VP at Saddleback overseeing the continued rapid decline of the special education department. What in the world would she be doing tampering over at Griset in the ELD department?
Just who is in charge of ELD at the district office? If this talk is true, then whoever is in charge is a weak leader. Those two have absolutely no business trying to mess with ELD services for this community. Their combined track record is horrid.
#1586
It’s distrurbing to learn that school board president Rob Richardson has chosen to participate in silencing the OJ bloggers. Rob is one self-serving politician that would delight in shooting down his most ardent critics – Pedroza and Gordon.
The OJ has provided this educational community the opportunity to shine a bright light on how the district is failing to do its job. Rob Richardson wants to put a stop to that. Don’t let him succeed.
# 1571
I understand your frustration, my son ended up in the truancy center, to my dismay, he tells me that the cop Rick Lopez basically stripped searched him, took his money, wallet, and all his personal belonging and store them away. Why is this rent a cop allowed to treat school children like criminal?
My son also told me that besides this cop doing this, there also is a guard treating kids like career criminals.
Do parents have to sign off on their kids going to the truancy center, I was never called or told.
Is the taking of personal items for no reason allowed by the district?
Isn’t this an illegal search?
I also did some reading on the above post, is this the same Rick Lopez the L.A times wrote about some time ago.
I would like to know who is ultimately responsible for overseen this department?
I checked the schools website, i can’t find anything, most of the pages is blank.
Art, Thomas, I thank the city Council, without their ignorance, I would not have found this Blog. You guys provide a crucial and informative inside, keep up the good work!
Q. If this the same guy the Times wrote about why is he here, mistreating our kids, If he wants to be a corrections cop he should work for the Sheriffs dept.
Q. Art, Thomas,
You guys are doing a great job, why not expose the department responsible for running the Truancy center.
Q. Please tell me who should I be demanding answers from?
#1589
The truancy center is operated by the school police department.
Yes that would be the same Rick Lopez you read about in the times.
Truants are detained for violation of law, but normally not put under arrest that I know of. In either case the police officer can search for weapons for safety, but a strip search? Not likely.
I can’t imagine anything needed to be taken away from your son unless it was a violation of school rules, like a cellphone or drug related stuff.
I would guess your son was asked to raise his shirt up to look for weapons or gang tatoos, but even so, there is a protocol involved with police legal searches.
You may have a valid complaint, but don’t expect to get any satisfaction from the school police department supervision.
You can try the front office, but I think you can read for yourself how parent complaints are handled, or ignored.
Art,
My son was also at the truancy center about a week ago. He told me the same story.
When they first arrive, Officer Lopez and the guard take all their possesion including money and force them to do over 30 pushups.
When a student fails to do all the pushups, Lopez proceeds to publically humiliate them, he calls them wuss, weak, wimp and if they are overweight he also proceeds to make fun of their weight.
According to my son, Lopez and the Guard basically strip search these kids.
Is this the same truancy center from where the previous cop was fired from for misconduct, if so I can see why and how. What is wrong with this district.
Great Job, the city and the mayors puppets wont outlived this one. This will hopefully teach them not to be bullies and watch what they wish for!
#1589 –
#1590 is correct, SAUSD adminis- trators will ignore your telephone calls.
Try calling the ACLU in Orange. SAUSD is already on their radar screen.
Strip searching and humiliation tactics without even informing parents? That’s an outrage! NO OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD DARE CONDUCT BUSINESS THIS WAY. Who is in charge? Freaks, pedophiles or thugs?
No wonder Richardson wants to shut up local bloggers. This thing is rotten under his direction.
Call the Times and tell them your story.
#1591
I’m not Art, nor am I speaking for him, but I have some knowledge of the law and a passing knowledge of the truancy center.
Despite any rhetoric about the reason for the truancy center such as reduction of street crime during school hours; the truth is the truancy center was set up as a cash cow for the district.
Students detained there are only held for the minimal required hours needed for the district to obtain it’s ADA money. After that these kids are released to parents, other family members, or simply turned loose.
To answer your question. Yes this is the same truancy center the previous school police officer you mentioned worked at. My understanding was he was allowed to resign, not fired. I was told the circumstances were not related to treatment of students at the center.
The term strip search is a strong term and I would be careful how you deem it. Both of you parents say your sons were “basically” strip searched. Either they were strip searched or they were not. A strip search is just that. Were either of your sons required to remove all of their clothing? That would be a strip search.
The lifting of shirts or even removal of shoes and socks is not uncommon by police in search of weapons, or drugs. Officers are allowed to search for weapons for safety reasons. During this search, should they find drugs then this would be incidental to the detainment and the student could be arrested.
What disturbs me is the physical and verbal abuse you mention. Although these students are in violation of the Education code, subject to detainment and or arrest, there is no provision for the detaining officers to physically or mentally abuse these students.
I’m also bothered about the taking of the students property, including wallet, money, or other items not in violation of the law or school rules. This seems more like an arrest rather than a temporary detainment.
These school police and school safety officers are acting under the umbrella as an agent of the school district rather than in a law enforcement capacity. In other words “In loco parentis”, i.e. in place of the parent.
In that capacity, a P.E. coach can make students run laps or do pushups as punishment. But the coach is not making them do so under threat of arrest. A school administrator can physically search a student as well, but to take all of the students property seems questionable. The line seems blurred as to what is going on in the truancy center.
Since the school district seems non-responsive to parent complaints, this would appear to be a matter to take to the ACLU, or the LA Times to further investigate. If enough parents have similar stories, the school police officer in question and security officer should answer for what sounds like inappropriate actions under the guise of legal detainment.
#1591
Poster #1594 is spot on about creating a pattern of practice. Contact the LA Times writer, Seema Mehta at 714-966-5835 or email her at: Seema.Mehta@latimes.com I’d also recommend you place a telephone call into the ACLU at 714-450-3962.
Good luck and keep the folks on this blog updated.
A lot of exaggeration here…I wish people would actually take the time to get the facts before smearing people…and oh yeah, by the way, kids exaggerate when they are caught ditching school
#1596
I agree that there is always room for exageration when it comes from truants. In fact out right lies.
I believe the two parents that made their comments are actually asking for the facts. If these allegations are unfounded, it should be a simple matter to prove or not. A simple inquiry of all students detained in the truancy center should clear up the matter easily. No muss. No fuss. Since only two parents have made complaints perhaps it will be unfounded.
The district does not exactly have a great track record in full disclosure. The school police officer named does not exactly have a track record of being above board in two city police departments. This alone makes one pause for consideration about the possibilities. Why not clear up the issue now before it becomes a long running blog item that is false?
Two parents concerned about the same kind of misuse of authority spells the tip of an iceberg to me.
Those parents should be prepared for retaliation from the school district. That’s just how it’s done. They practice some real bad decisions and when they are called into question, they seek out the unsuspecting person asking for answers and solutions.
Who oversees the school police? The Superintendent or the board or just Noji?
Who oversees?
Oversight is an oversight in SAUSD.
Failure is unacceptable.
Therefore.
To err is unaccountable.
Since SAUSD believes “Failure is unacceptable.”
Yet SAUSD FAILS in many ways…
SAUSD FAILure is unaccountable.
If noone is ever held accountable,
then (maybe?!) the failure never happened?
You will notice that in the last several years, in spite of multitudinous failures, NOONE has ever been accountable for the FAILURES!
So,
the new motto (mantra) for SAUSD:
Failure is unACCOUNTABLE.
1591
your answer is simple, look who is in charge of the truancy center, Rick Lopeez.
this says it all, credible concerns, absolutely.
Your best chance of getting answers is not to go at it alone, call the ACLU or an attorney.
#1599
Your rant is nice and true but it does not do much to approach or solve the problem. Maybe you can save it for an SAUSD story in the Register where mindless comments can be placed after the story.
What we have here are two parents asking questions about the treatment of their kids. Are the kids exagerating, or are the claims true? Who to ask is the question that demands an answer.
Several posters have made the same suggestions. Either go to the Times or the ACLU. What is so obvious here is that no one believes they can go to the district and get an honest answer. That in itself says it all. If faith in the district is so far gone why are these people allowed to continue to run it?
To answer a couple of previous questions asked; the school police is supervised by Chief Jim Miyashiro. Problem number one. Jim Miyashiro is supervised by building services. Problem number 2. Building services is supervised by which assistant supt? Problem number 3.
The truancy center is part of the child and welfare division in conjunction with school police. I believe I might ask those people what exactly it is they are running if the parents claims have any merit.
It will take more than just two parents before the district will answer up. It took a number of teachers to get involved before the attendance scam came out. It will take more than two parents to come forward with complaints before someone will listen.
This would be a good time for the parents to get off the lazy-boys and make themselves heard if a problem does exist.
How about get off the lazy-boy and make sure your kid is in school? When are parents going to be held accountable? I agree SAUSD has to be made accountable too, but let’s start at home!
Obviously parents on this blog do care, but the majority don’t.
Lopez is no longer at the truancy center, so the complaints WERE heard.
“Lopez is no longer at the truancy center, so the complaints WERE heard.”
This would be nice if it could be confirmed. How did it happen? The district get into trouble with some authority and remove him? It would be hard to think the district would be proactive and actually move the guy on a PARENTAL COMPLAINT, ONLY.
When the school district starts treating students and their parents with respect, I would guess the truancy rates and other bad behaviors would drop dramatically. Year after year the schools are understaffed, ill-managed, overcrowded….. the kids suffer. When was the last time parents were encouraged to call a hotline and get their questions and concerns answered? Many have learned to be helpless. I’ve seen parents and their children/students suffer harsh retaliation for bringing legitimate concerns to administrators. When will the “all clear” signal be put out by the district that someone will see to concerns of parents and students and teachers?
When the district is known to actually return calls to community members and parents, please feel free to post the exact date that started happening.
Post # 1603 about says it all. The district thrives on parental fear. It does not matter if they are illegal, do not speak english, or just naive of the law. The district takes advantage of all these things.
Should a parent complain, the district hints about ICE or other further investigation and the parent backs out.
Most parents want their kids to get past what they have ended up with but they don’t know how and are too afraid to complain.
This blog has shown without question that major problems exist within the district. Again, they thrive on parental fear.
Russo and the gang need to have their pay cut in half until they prove they are doing the job of making this a district where kids graduate with a solid education. Once that happens maybe they can be granted the money they were given for the largest district in the county.
Only the parents can make that happen, or remove these managers. These district leaches know that the parents are too afraid just as the city management knows it too.
What other district or city would allow millions to be spent, or lost, by mismanagement?
To the parent with the Mendez question.
Did Landsiedel ever answered the question about your child and why there is no security at her school.
Here is Landsiedel showing her inept and true colors, she got rid of the security girl that was there because she did not what a guard questioning or asking questions. Just like a inept administrator, can not take constructive criticism.
Not to mention that she had 3 to 4 noon aids working for over and extended period of time with out paying them. She would threaten this non english speaking ladies with termination if they spoke up.
Guess what, they did, they complained to the district about Ms.Landsiedel threats. Ask where these ladies are? No longer working at Mendez, Landsiedel fired them within hours before they were to report to work on Aug. 30th.
#1605
This is really starting to get interesting. Let’s see if I can recap all the facts and innuendo.
Blogger # 1571 posted that his/her son was able to leave Mendez because of no security. The blogger posted on Sept. 29 and indicated her son and friends left campus the week before.
The son was busted and taken to the truancy center where some questions were raised about his treatment there. This blogger also called Mendez school, received no reply and as far as we know ever heard back with an explanation.
Another blogger parent posted on October 2 and added more information about the questionable treatment at the truancy center. This parent did not state when his/her son was taken there.
Over the week that has passed, we have heard that the school police officer in question has been assigned other duties but we don’t know if it was related to a parent complaint or if it was just a change of assignments.
Now we come full circle back to the principal at Mendez. #1605 states the principal let the security guard go because she asked too many questions. She didn’t say when that was.
We don’t know if that was the same time blogger #1571’s child went truant or not. We also don’t know if that guard was immediately replaced or not.
Blogger # 1605 enters another issue into the mix regarding 3 or 4 noon supervisors. As reported these people were also removed after complaining to the district about work related matters. But we don’t know if they were immediately replaced or not. # 1605 says they were removed by August 30th. Does that about cover it?
Sadly people while all these allegations may be true, you all leave a time line that gives the district the ability to walk away from these matters unscathed. This is why the district gets away with these sort of matters.
You need to get your facts in order and related to whatever the problem is you find with the district. “I heard this”, or “my son told me that” won’t work. You need proof and corroboration for each and every allegation or innuendo you make IF you want to make a difference.
Posting here has helped but it hasn’t changed the district’s way of doing business. Three or four noon supervisors being fired for complaining, or removing a security guard for asking questions doesn’t sound to me like the district has changed it’s pattern, assuming it is all true.
In fact it actually indicates that the pattern has continued down to the principal level without any fear whatsoever of possible consequences as late as August.
That tells me the top administration has not changed tactics, and apparently continues to encourage them, while in public stating they are revising the way they do business.
If you parents and teachers want to make a change you are going to have to document dates and times and make sure you have others that can affirm your allegations. Otherwise the district will continue to take advantage of your lack of ability to prove your claims. The teachers proved their claims by providing the documentation. You will have to do the same. Remember the district has had years of practice of getting past these sort of allegations because the facts were not provided in a proper way. Not because they were untrue.
In my opinion, hostility and disrespect are just cover behaviors to conceal incompetence. Name one effective manager who needs to resort to humiliation, screaming, abuse of authority, subjugation and temper tantrums. You will not be able to do it. Those bhaviors are counter productive for getting things accomplished. They only signal that the individual is in way over their head and must find a way to dodge accountability and to blame others for their lack of skills.
The board and HR seem very content to hire the worst management freaks and rejects from other districts to help “lead” our district. This is a mistake that needs to stop being made. Level-headed supervisors are in scarce supply in SAUSD.
For anyone concerned about the organizational “costs” of workplace hostility that is currently the “norm” at problem sites in SAUSD, please have a look at this link.
You want to see increased community satisfaction and better run schools? Forbid all the petty tyrants in the district from creating openly hostile interactions with others. That will wipe out stress claims brought on by ranting Mis-managers. It will also allow phone calls to be returned because witholding information out of hostility will no longer be tolerated. The effects of safe, calm campuses will benefit teaching staff and students. I am shocked that hostile behavior by so many departments and leaders has been accepted as standard behavior. The time has come to stop it.
http://www.coping.org/anger/hostile.htm#How
Hostility can result in emotional experiences of:
fear and confusion regarding the reactions and opinions of others.
disinterest in the feelings of others.
wanting to have attention drawn to me.
wanting to be given sympathy.
self-pity.
being lost and unclear about the direction my life is taking.
feeling cheated in life.
feeling betrayed, unsupported, and uncared for.
desiring revenge or personal vindication.
being unable to forgive or forget the real or imagined hurts.
lacking generosity or goodwill for others.
needing to protect myself at any price.
wanting to attack before I am attacked.
lacking enthusiasm for personal growth activities.
bitterness about the status of my life, both emotionally and materially.
sense of absolute futility of life.
submitting to negative beliefs, like “life’s tough and then you die.”
hopelessness and a bleak outlook for the future.
Can anyone confirm if Rick Lopez is out of the Truancy center, and if so where is he going now. Hopefully not into a school as a school resource officer.
Also can anyone confirm if Mendez does or does not have a security guard.Did Lansidale fire her too.
News Flash!
Mendez Fundamental School!
Did anyone tell Principal Landsiedel to be careful what she WISHED for because she might just get it, apparently not, she got what she WISHED for!
Several parents who wish to remain anonymous told me the following!
Friday Oct. 5,
Mendez had the one of the worst if not the worst food fight in their lunch area. If you know Mendez’s lunch area, it looks like the feeding area inside a prison yard, it is confined, no place to go or run too. I can only imagine a food FIGHT in such a confined area.
Today Oct. 8 at 12:05 a student with special needs walked right off the Campus. No one to prevent him or stop him from walking off the campus. At 12:45, Ms.Landsiedel calls SAPD for help in finding the child. Keep in mind, 40 minutes after the child walked off the school grounds. Did she call the parents to notify them, NO! Did she call the Superintendent’s Office?
For almost 2 hours the child with special needs was missing, no one knew where he had gone too. At around 2:15 the child made it home, safely, thank god!
Why was the child with special needs able to walk off school grounds so easily? Because Ms. Landsiedel, Mendez Principal got what she wished for, the removal of her on site security guard. Why did the District, knowing the liability in which Ms. Landsiedel was placing the district and not to mention the message she was sending the students of Mendez allow her TO remove the female security guard from school!
One simple response comes to mind, it is not about the kids!
How do I know this you might ask!
My son goes to Mendez, luckily he is in 8th. grade. How STUPID must one be to be a Principal of a Fundamental Junior High School. Did Principal Landsiedel not think, even for a brief second, that kids will be kids and they would soon realized they had an open door to come and go as they pleased without a guard to watch over them!
Fundamental or not, kids are still kids. Give them a chance and they will take it.
A school without a guard is beyond stupidity, is Principal Landsiedel the poster child?
I hope the rest of the parents will realize that their child might be the next one who decides to walk off Mendez and he or she might not be so lucky as this child was!
What ever excuse Principal Landsiedel gives the district office for this incident, I can only hope, they wont be as stupid as principal Landsiedel and believe her.
Principal Landsiedel is absent minded if she thought Mendez students were not going to leave school onces the word got out, NO SECURITY!
Rick Lopez, The person with the shady background and now District employee, ex Truancy Center aka Pelican Bay is no longer in such position. The Truancy Center aka Pelican Bay is now under the control of a different school cop.
Now, the question is! Where is Rick Lopez?
Why was Rick “Lazy-Boy/Pelican-Bay” Lopez allowed to mistreat and treat our kids like career criminals for several weeks?
Now more interesting news right of the press
For those of you wondering why Jim Miyashiro is still employed after so many lawsuits against him and the district, Audrey Noji.
In your face Mr. Navarro, your blind support for her only allowed for the continued employment of Jim Miyashiro.
I’ve been reading the comments about MacArthur’s overcrowded classrooms, the reign of Principal terror at Willard, food fights and lost students at Mendez, yadda, yadda.
I just thought I’d bring up how Taft closed out its intermediate grades and sent the kids to McFadden. McFadden took a big jump in enrollment. How did they handle all those kids? They went to a seven period day which cut time from each class, lowered kids per class by two or three but actually increased how many kids each teacher has by that extra class. In other words, each teacher has two or three less students per class but around 30 to 35 more students per day!
Now that’s inspired cost savings by the district! Probably saved the costs of five to ten teachers.
A clueless and hostile management style just may get you a visit in your principal
#1606
I think the assumption has been the
Art has the fortitude to step up and confront city reps, but he can
#1609
These are very interesting stories about the Mendez food fight,the Mendez guard, and the Mendez special needs student that walked off the campus. These also are perfect examples of lack of corroboration posted earlier.
What came to my mind after reading your comment were several questions the district will use as excuses for everythng you wrote.
I’m not standing up for the district here, but I am just pointing out how easily the district will simply make these comments go away. If I can do it they surely can.
As #1613 rightly points out, none of this will fall on the principal, but instead it will fall on the staff.
Your comments seem to corroberate their is no security guard. But so what? Exactly what can one guard, male or female, due against a couple hundred kids engaged in a food fight? The best any one guard could do would be to identify the kids who started it and punish them at a later date. I would assume their were staff monitors present who can do the same thing. No one guard can do much in a situation like that.
You mention the special needs truant at 1205pm. If they did have a guard, where should he or she be? In the lunch area preventing further food fights, or watching the campus for walk offs. No one guard can be everywhere at once.
There for even if the school did or did not have a guard, the principal is not going to be answerable for these incidents.
If anybody takes a hit, it will be the staff responsible for monitoring the lunch area or watching for truants. Typical District thinking.
While on district think, how do your anonymous parents, or your 8th grade son know the exact time the child went missing or exactly what time the school called either the school police or SAPD? Those are pretty exact times from parents that weren’t there, or your son who could not possibly know what time the principal or anyone else called the cops. You will have to really corroborate that if you want to try and stick the principal with failing to do anything for 40 minutes.
For that matter, was 1205pm the time the kid left school or the time someone finally noticed? Did the school make an effort to check the mall and school during those 40 minutes before calling the cops? You can bet they will say they did.
Honestly, I believe every word you wrote #1609, sadly as # 1613 points out, unless the parents and support staff get together and start comparing notes to get all the facts before going to the board or Russo, it just isn’t going to do much.
But I encourage you to at least keep posting these incidents at all schools with as much detail as you can. If enough of these stories keep coming out maybe the parents and support staff will realize the old phrase about “United we stand”. Right now you are all divided, by district design.
#1615 comments …
“Right now you are all divided, by district design.”
You are absolutely correct. Conquer and divide.
That’s why a non-SAUSD employee, Bernadette Medrano, can maintain an office and run the Willard Parent Center. It’s shocking to learn that a permanent SAUSD employee was released by Jeff Bishop to accommodate Medrano, a non SAUSD employee who lacks the credentials for this position. Apparently Bishop’s actions caused a ripple effect that impacted a few school sites and the livlihood of SAUSD employees. Must be nice to be cozy cronies with Noji and Russo.
Meanwhile Willard is on tonght’s agenda for Program Improvement Year 5. It’s time to give that principal the hook.
Schools have office aids!
Schools that don’t have office aids, have very inquisitive young adults.
Mendez has both, future news reporters and Bloggers. Principal Landsiedel has a special group of students who are willing to expose her for what she really is, inept!
#1616: The level to which Bishop will stoop to undermine the classroom teacher – last year at a meeting with the parents of Corporate Academy students, and with teachers in attendance at this meeting, he told the parents that if they ever had complaints about their children’s teachers to take them to the Parent Center (Bernadette Medrano). He bypassed the chain of command – teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal – and had them take their complaints directly to a non-SAUSD employee!
Russo and Noji condone this by allowing him to remain as the site administrator at Willard.
Ms. Landsiedel is in the same realm as Brenda McGaffigan from Sierra, out into the clouds.
From What the Pajaritos from Sierra are saying, the school guard and Brenda are at odds with each other. Will Brenda fire him like Landsiedel did to her guard.
Gruff, Gruff
“Mendez has both, future news reporters and Bloggers. Principal Landsiedel has a special group of students who are willing to expose her for what she really is, inept!
“
When you expose incompetent people in power, you had better expect that they will come at whoever is exposing them in the most serious attacks they can think of. You all had better have plan “b” in the works, because the district people read this blog and there is going to be some kind of consequence.
Here is some unsolicited advice: Make sure your parents are informed. The last thing you want is for school district officials to suprise and then intimidate your parents into going against you. Expect the worst treatment to be directed at your parents in hopes of ruining you and your educational demands.
Document. Date, time, what happened (keep it factual – don’t add a lot of opinion or unfounded speculation)who was involved and what witnesses. You can also include how it made you feel to be a witness to that. Make copies of evidence. Keep copies of your evidence safe. Expect someone to demand you turn over stuff at some point. It’s your stuff and you don’t have to, unless your lawyer tells you to.
Getting the changes you deserve may take more time than you realize. by keeping your documentation safely, professionally…. you will begin to see paterns arise that will support your position that your school leadership is a problem. One, two, ten incidents will not be enough to convince anyone as anything more than a “mistake” or two.
Be prepared for retaliation and intimidation. Make sure you have adults who will help protect you. Keep the numbers of the reporters with you. John Palacios is the only board member to publically support education for ALL students, so you might get a sympathetic ear if you find that the situation is out of hand. You need his email or phone number just in case?
If they try and treat you as criminals by involving inappropriate police intervention, do not speak unless you have a parent or better…. an attorney present. It is never a good idea to talk to the police without representation. Ever. Whether you are innocent or completely guilty it never helps you to be without knowledgeable representation if police are involved. This school district has a known history of inappropriate police-student contact. Keep that in mind.
The absence of aides is either a HR move to save money or a Business department idea to save money or the principal simply feels more comfortable having students in place, rather than competent adults. Whatever the situation, smart students seem to be on the lookout for problems at their site.
Food fights are so disrespectful. It is also a warning sign that the focus is not on safety and education. Those two issues come from the principal’s message and practices. Accountability starts at the top. Expect to be “blamed” for your lousy attitudes as the basis for all the school’s problems.
You’ve declared war by daring to post what you know here. You know you deserve better care and oversight for your education. Be prepared and have a strategy for the pathetic response from irresponsible leaders who would rather destroy and kill the messengers, than do their jobs well and to the benefit of the community and the students.
Go with care.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7135635?nclick_check=1
More news on the crooks from Capistrano Unified. SAUSD might want to adopt the recommendations of this report that demands clear accountability.
SANTA ANA, Calif.
Art,
I am too a parent from Mendez.
First let me say thank you to the city council and major pulido without them I would have never found your site. I have known Ms. Landsiedel since she was a assistand principal at spurgeon. She was clueless then too. I don’t understand how someone like her could be assign as principal specially at a fundamental school.She mistreats students and parent alike. She did at spurgeon and still does at Mendez. Someone else already said, that bad administration trys to keep you quiet when you bring concerns to them by telling you they will have to call the police to investigate your concerns and that you will have to go to the police station to do a written statement. This is not bad on its own, but the way she has done it and continues to do it has made parents feel uncomfortable and she does not seem to care. It seems more like a tactic to keep you from saying and doing anything.
From what I have heard from talking to other parents she is buddy buddy with the school police chief and likes to throw his name when any situation comes up.This is one of the ways she used to get the security girl removed from the school. Making her feel like it was all her fault and that she was better off at a different place.Art I just wish there was a way we could reach more parents from the same school and then district wide.And thank you to the person with the advise on what to expect from the school and district.
#1618 –
Leapin’ Lizards … talk on the street says the Corporate Academy at Willard has been approved to expand.
What is the Corporate Academy and why is a non-SAUSD employee, the engine behind this academy, allowed to oversee this so-called academic program? At minimum, she should have the credentials to do so.
If Russo and Noji are partial to extending favors to friends, the least they can do is 1.) make sure they are employed by SAUSD and 2) have the proper state credentials to do so.
What does the union have to say about a non-union employee trumping a union employee?
1623
“Leapin’ Lizards”
Stop answering your own posts! Or at least make an effort to conceal your response to your own writing. It is not like you are truly anonymous. I am tired of hearing the same “BS” coming from you, it is not like people don’t know who you are! We do.
Find something else to rag on. It’s getting Old . Corporate Academy is for the students, you don’t want to teach, get out!
Peace!
I would like to know if anyone has heard the lastest and greatest on our school police leader and his Las Vegas trip with his DSO officers? Did everything fair well?
Willard still has lots of subs- contra Wiliams- why no filings? Principal Terror does his job well…
http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-audit-charter-1886191-state-santa
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Audit: charter school director misappropriated state funds
Albor Charter School
# 1624
Vague and defensive, aren’t you? I’d say you’re most likely someone from the Medrano camp. It’s going to be a great day when that nasty woman is removed!
Stay tuned!
which DSO’s and when was this Las vegas trip?Was this done on personal time or company time?