Thread: Apology to L.A. parents isn't enough

The parent meeting Thursday night at Markham Middle School was originally scheduled to address concerns about a school district plan to put troubled high schoolers on the middle-school campus.

Instead, it turned into a forum about another bad choice: the district's decision to saddle their school with an assistant principal suspected of sexual improprieties with a former student.

The administrator, Steve Thomas Rooney, was arrested last week and charged with committing "forcible lewd acts" on a 13-year-old Markham student.

Rooney had been assigned to Markham last fall, after being removed from Fremont High earlier that year in the wake of allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a girl he taught at his previous school.

The girl told Los Angeles police that she and Rooney, 39, began having sex when she was 16. He had been her health teacher at Foshay Learning Center. No charges were filed because the girl -- by then 18 -- refused to testify. A few months later, the district sent Rooney to Markham.

Parents -- who knew nothing of Rooney's history -- were shocked and angry when school officials notified them of Rooney's arrest. He allegedly forced the Markham student into his car, took her to his home and assaulted her.

More than 100 parents turned out Thursday night, seeking an explanation from Los Angeles Unified Supt. David Brewer.

"I'm deeply, deeply sorry," Brewer said, again and again. "It's taken my breath away. . . . It's very disheartening." The audience applauded his contrition, but didn't give up.

"We're sick and tired of you guys putting your garbage in our community," said Eloisa Espinoza, whose eighth-grade daughter is the alleged victim's friend. "And we want it to stop."

Her voice was loud, but trembling.

From the outside, Markham has the austere look of a penal institution, spread out over a city block with wire-covered windows and an iron gate around its perimeter. Inside, the campus looks clean and well-kept. Flowers bloom and bright murals decorate the walls.

Markham is considered one of the district's most difficult schools to run. Almost 700 of its 1,500 students are immigrants, just learning English. One-third of its teachers are rookies. With a 40% transiency rate, almost half its students leave during the school year and are replaced by newcomers.

More than 70% of the students are Latinos, and most of the parents at Thursday's meeting wore headsets to listen to a Spanish translator.

When they lined up to be heard by the district's boss, they were upset about more than Rooney.

They complained about drug-addict parents and kids who come to school drunk or high. Teachers who show movies in class and tell parents "keep your kid at home if you don't like it." Stolen backpacks and calculators and lunch tickets. Kids afraid to come to school and parents too worried to make them. A principal too busy putting out fires to listen.

"This is like a jungle," said Ernesto Flores, whose wife is looking for a job so they can afford to send their children to private school. "Our kids are survivors," he said. "But you have to be very strong to survive."

Like almost every speaker, Flores was unfailingly polite. "We're grateful to you for being here," he told Brewer in Spanish. "But we want you to do something about the situation. Your kids are not coming here. If they were here, they would not survive."

Brewer dutifully took notes and nodded.

And I couldn't help thinking that if all this was happening at my daughter's former middle school in Northridge -- and all Brewer did when he met with parents was take notes and apologize -- he would need bodyguards to survive the night.

Brewer couldn't tell parents much about Rooney. The investigation, he said, is still ongoing.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...5415301.column

These people, the ones running our public schools, are becoming less and less trustworthy. I have seen this up here in Oregon, and in a suburb school. Teachers being placed into schools when there had to have been knowledge of problems, and then school officials acting as if they had no idea about it all.

Maybe because the parents are illegals and do not know English is why they presumed they could get away with it there? I have to agree, had it been at a school my kids went to (which they do not, they are homeschooled), I would have not been as polite as the parents at this school.

The parents are part of the problem, they can't even speak english and need translators? This isn't Mexico. They have contributed to the problem by not taking responsibility and leaving it up to teachers to guide their kids through school. What help are they to their kids when it comes to homework etc? And thefts in school? Well let's see 700 out of 1,500 are "immigrants". They steal from each other and pick on each other because they know no one is going to do anything about it. I'm not saying the school should be given a free pass but the reality is without those 700 kids in school they don't belong in the money used on them could afford better programs, more qualified teachers, more classrooms with less students so that every legal us citizen could have the education they deserve. The crime rate would be low because there would be money for better school security and what not. When yo break the law to be here then complain when school services are maxed out and you're left with corrupt educators in charge who are you to complain when you contributed to the problem by your own corruption? I find it hypocritical these parents who can't speak english come to a school and complain when most if not all are probably here illegally breaking the laws themselves and yet they wonder why these corrupt officials try to take advantage of the situation when just by their very presence here in this country illegally is also taking advantage of the US tax payer.

Very good points Gemini!