FACT SHEET: Harassment and Retaliation Against High School Students
Press contact: Henry Carson, 323-336-3050
In city after city, high school students walked out in response to a
call for No Work! No School! from The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the
Bush Regime. Their presence energized protests nationwide, and played a
crucial role in launching a movement that will not stop until Bush
steps down and takes his whole program with him. In the L.A. area,
there were walkouts at dozens of schools in the biggest movement of
high school students since the walkouts against the anti-immigrant
Proposition 187 in 1994.
But as the Call for this movement stated, “If we speak the truth, they
will try to silence us. If we act, they will try to stop us.” The exact
number of students facing suspension, fines, expulsion, transfer or
other measures is unknown. But The World Can’t Wait has received
reports indicating retaliation against many students at schools
throughout the area.
The policy of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) regarding
student walkouts was communicated in a memo to “all principals” dated
October 26, 2005, and initialed by Dan Isaacs from the Office of the
Chief Operating Officer. It stated, “Do not attempt to prevent students
from leaving the campus.” (A copy of this memo is available on request.)
In the weeks before November 2 there was a pattern of harassment and
attempted intimidation at numerous schools. Students were told by
administrators and security guards that they could receive truancy
tickets and be subjected to hundreds of dollars of fines. They were
forbidden to carry literature and other materials onto campus, such as
stickers saying, “Resist or Die,” or flyers carrying the Call from The
World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime. “Resist or Die” T-shirts
were banned from campuses.
Young women at Locke H.S. in South Central LA were sent to the
principal’s office for having posters that called William Bennett a
Nazi for saying that aborting all Black babies would be a good way to
reduce crime. The principal confiscated all their posters and
threatened them with being kicked out of school.
At Fairfax H.S. students reported that an announcement was made over
the P.A. system saying that students would be suspended for walking
out. Some teachers threatened to give students failing grades for the
day. At Fairfax and other schools, students were told they’d miss the
California Exit Exam and wouldn’t be able to graduate.
November 1, there were more serious attacks on student organizers. At
Reseda H.S., a ninth grader, Sara Escudero, was called into the
principal’s office. She was threatened with punitive transfer and with
arrest for vandalism for having stickers. Then she was suspended for
two days and told by the principal that he would begin expulsion
procedures against her. (As a result of hundreds of outraged calls on
Friday, November 4, Reseda High School authorities backed off and
informed Sara that there would be no punishment at all.)
At Belmont H.S., a 16-year-old student, Geovany Serrano, was grabbed by
school police, pepper-sprayed and arrested. This student is under house
arrest with an ankle bracelet and phone surveillance, and faces
criminal charges in addition to suspension.
On and after November 2, numerous principals, in direct contradiction
to official policy, ordered the schools locked down: gates chained and
padlocked, police stationed at exits, teachers required to close their
doors and keep students in their classrooms.
At Van Nuys H.S., the principal issued a memo before November 2 saying
the school would be locked down. When students tried to walk out, they
were assaulted by deans, including one young woman who was pulled by
the hair by one dean. Two women escaped by climbing a fence and later
spoke at the rally in Westwood. Students reported that twenty students
were given one-day suspensions, and at least two are being kicked out,
transferred to another school. Other students were ticketed by police.
One student’s mother reported that his ticket was for “truancy and
protesting against George Bush.” Parent conferences to readmit
suspended students to school were canceled by administrators.
Reseda H.S. was also locked down on November 2, with a police car
parked in front of the main entrance. Students who tried to walk were
taken to the office and given tickets. A Reseda High student reported
that two students were arrested, and five were given tickets.
At Lynwood H.S. 40 – 50 students gathered on campus, prepared to walk
out. Police were blocking some gates, and other gates were chained and
locked. They staged a sit-in by the administration office. After a
time, when only four students continued the sit-in, all were taken into
the office, along with another student who was passing by, and charged
with truancy for trying to walk out. They also face suspension. One of
the people in the office made a racist comment to the young students:
“You Mexicans have to stop climbing over the fence.”
Since November 2, the administration at Lynwood has threatened
retaliation-including transfers and suspensions-against those they
claim are organizers. The administration has also told students that it
will find and punish the leader. And a teacher who is against the Iraq
War has also been threatened.
Lincoln H.S. in East LA was locked down as 150 students tried to walk
out. At the Orthopedic Medical Magnet H.S., up to 70 students are being
threatened with suspensions for walking out or not coming to school to
attend protest events. At Locke High School students report that a
large number of students may face suspension for attempting to organize
a walkout. At other schools, students were given detention for walking.
The World Can’t Wait is investigating all reports that students turn in
to us, and there is every indication that what we know now is only a
hint of what has happened. These high school students need the support
and assistance of everyone who reads this fact sheet. They need lawyers
to help mount a legal defense against LAUSD retaliation. They need
financial support. And they need political support. Everyone reading
this should fire off a letter of outrage to the LAUSD and call
Superintendent Roy Romer’s office demanding that there be no
retribution of any sort against the students who organized for and
participated in the November 2nd World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush
Regime walkouts. Romer’s numbers are: PHONE – (213) 241-7000, FAX –
(213) 241-8442. Romer can also be emailed at superintendent@lausd.net. And contact the World Can’t Wait office in L.A. at (323) 462-4771 / email worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com.
URGENT UPDATE: Belmont High School student Geovany Serrano has just
been notified by Belmont High School authorities that he will not be
allowed to return to Belmont High and will be transferred to another
school. Geovany remains under house arrest and is facing criminal
charges for passing out flyers calling for the November 2nd walkout.
Call Superintendent Romer’s office to protest this outrageous act of
retaliation. There is a protest planned for Tuesday November 8, 7:00
AM, at Belmont, 1525 W. 2nd St., including high school and college
students, World Can’t Wait and Code Pink. Call School Principal Gary
Yoshinobu at: EMAIL – gary.yoshinobu@lausd.net, PHONE – (213) 250-0244,
FAX – (213) 250-9706.
World Can’t Wait: www.worldcantwait.org, worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com, 323-462-4771
Press contact: Henry Carson, 323-336-3050
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