Pomona Parents Question School Safety : Violence: Officials say they’ll look into complaints that security personnel are ineffective.

Concerned about what they call rising violence on Pomona high school campuses, a group of parents has banded together to demand that school administrators take more active steps to protect students.

“I am appalled at the total lack of concern for . . . welfare and safety, exhibited by . . . proctors, school police and school district personnel,” wrote Rachelle Henry this week in a letter to authorities at Ganesha High School and the Pomona Unified School District.

Henry said her daughter, Janine, 14, was jumped by four girls at Ganesha High on Oct. 9 after she tried to help a friend who had been beaten up by two other girls.

Henry charges that several school proctors and security officers watched the fight but did not to intervene.

“There were four people on my daughter at one time. The proctors were all there, they watched, they did nothing. I want them fired,” Henry said.

Pomona school officials say they are looking into the allegations.

“I’ve heard the same thing, that proctors didn’t react quickly enough. Possibly there will be some changes or removal from positions. That is being investigated,” said Tony Lopes, Ganesha principal.

He said the four girls who instigated the fight have been transferred to other schools and added that “Janine’s an outstanding student, an A student, no question about it.”

School officials denied that violence was on the rise.

“It’s an isolated incident,” said Michael Daniels, assistant principal at Ganesha High. “I would say there’s not growing violence.

Henry also has asked that school officials meet with concerned parents and discuss the problem of campus violence at an open board meeting.

“We are not going to allow this to happen,” Henry wrote to the school district. “We are banding together to show our genuine concern over this issue, and by our strength in numbers, to lend our support to one another, to express to you, the leaders of our district, our disdain and our sorrow over what has been allowed to happen.”

In attempts to rally support, Henry and about 15 other parents handed out 85 flyers at back-to-school night in Pomona on Monday, urging parents to voice their concerns to school officials.

Authorities say they have no objection to meeting with parents.

“Yes, we’d like to talk to Mrs. Henry,” said Emmett Terrell, Pomona’s assistant superintendent of personnel.

Terrell said fights among students are not unknown at Pomona High schools, but added that there is no known gang problem on local campuses.

“We have kids fighting, we’ve had our share of drive-bys in the community, but it’s not just at Ganesha. I’m sad to say gang violence is in the community,” Terrell said.

School authorities also expressed concern that when the fight erupted last week, a group of suspected gang members who had been loitering in the park directly across from Ganesha High ran onto the campus to observe it more closely.