Charges of Bias Bring Call for Probe of Carlsbad High

A member of an advisory board to the county office of education is requesting an investigation into charges of discrimination at Carlsbad High School, based on reports that Latino students have been routinely singled out for disciplinary action.

In a letter to county Supt. Thomas Boysen on Wednesday, Roberto Martinez, a member of the Latino Advisory Committee of the office of education and a well-known activist in the county, said he had received complaints from Latino and immigrant students who claimed that they have been unduly harassed by campus security and receive harsher discipline than white students.

“My concern is that with the Latino dropout rate being what it is, near 50%, that these kids aren’t being given a fair chance or an equal education and we’re going to lose them,” Martinez said.

Martinez said six Carlsbad High students talked to him in April about their complaints, which include overcrowded English as a Second Language classes and harassment by campus security at sporting events.

“Security watches them more than white kids,” Martinez said. “If several white kids are standing in a group, security won’t do anything. But if several Latino kids stand together, they separate them or kick them off the grounds.”

One of the youths, Adrian Hidalgo, said that assistant principal Kevin Edwards had accused him of having a gun in his locker, even though Hidalgo insisted that he did not even have a locker.

“He told me not to talk about the gun with anybody except my family,” Hidalgo said. “Then he threatened me, said he would kick me out of Carlsbad High School if I told anyone.”

Edwards said he is both outraged and frustrated by the accusations made against him.

“I’m outraged because of the lack of substance of these allegations,” Edwards said. “I’m still faced with the same set of circumstances where I am obligated to provide the confidentiality of the situation. I wish I could say something about it, but I can’t.”

Edwards said he welcomed an investigation as an opportunity to give his side of the story.

“I’m not afraid of this kind of investigation because I believe I will have an opportunity sometime to share what is really at the bottom of this,” Edwards said.

Martinez said that it’s not the first time that Carlsbad Unified has been tainted by accusations of racial discrimination.

“I have received previous complaints from Anglo parents who said that the schools in Carlsbad are being segregated,” Martinez said.

Last April, the district considered, but then withdrew a proposal that would have transferred white students to two predominantly Latino elementary schools from a school that was 85.5% white.

The district is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s office for civil rights for possible violations in connection with its boundaries.

“I will ask the county office of education to specifically to look into Carlsbad High School as well as any of the schools that we feel discriminate against Hispanic children in Carlsbad,” Martinez said. “We’re prepared to go all the way, whatever that means.”

Martinez’s request for an investigation will be considered at the next meeting of the Latino Advisory Committee on Oct. 22.