Reason 1,678 LAUSD is ALL BAD

I guess the initial charges were not enough or not condusive to the alleged acts of violence, emotional and psychological distress, this LA assistane principal at Markam Middle School is accused of molesting two more teenage girls.

Now, we all know LAUSD has been faltering. This can be traced back to Proposition 13 and the elimination of property taxes to fund public education. However, recent instances of inproper management, faulty facilities, ill-equipped School Board Superintendants, and a Mayor who has no public policy skills, have only further disgraced the millions of students attending K-12 at LAUSD.

In addition, the recent LA Times article about rampid school depression amongst public school students in the city only further exposes the harm of inefficient and ineffective schooling. By no means do I think Charter Schools are the answer, but strict guidelines must be set in place so that the trauma already experience by students is not heightened by sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by LAUSD employees. Case in point:

Assistant Principal Stephen T. Rooney was transferred to Markham Middle School in South Los Angeles last year, even though he was accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a student at a previous school, Foshay Learning Center.

That transfer appears to have violated district policies, which require officials to conduct an independent investigation of abuse allegations before allowing a teacher or an administrator who has been accused of sexual misconduct to return to a school.

The new allegations are more bad news for officials of Los Angeles Unified School District, which has come under intense criticism for transferring Rooney to Markham even though they knew he had been accused of sexual relations with the Foshay student.

As a community, LA needs to band together and put a stop to this and hold public officials and entities accountable. No student should have to suffer the way these students have. The successful fight for A-G requirements is a perfect example of how coalitions of community members, ngo’s, and more can successfully push a quality policy agenda for the betterment of all students.