Parents, Leaders Support School Principal

Parents of Oxnard High School students and several of the city’s Latino community leaders have rallied around the school’s principal, urging school board members not to blame him for a brawl in the school gym last month.

About 100 people crowded into a meeting of the Oxnard Union High School District on Wednesday, when more than a dozen speakers praised Principal Ruperto Cisneros as a role model for Latinos and an exemplary school administrator.

Many said they had heard rumors that Cisneros would be made the scapegoat for the Feb. 27 fight, which students said started between a black and a Latino student and may have been gang-related. One student was arrested and 17 others suspended after the fight.

“It would be very sad if one of the consequences of this incident would be the removal of Mr. Cisneros,” said parent Aurora de la Selva.

“I and the Hispanic community are very proud of his handling of this incident,” said Pete Placentia, another parent.

Community leaders, including Robert Sanchez, president of the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce, and Pete Tafoya, a board member of the Ventura County Community College District, also spoke on Cisneros’ behalf.

Cisneros, a 20-year district employee who has been principal at Oxnard for three years, attended the meeting, but said he could not comment on whether his job might be affected because it is a personnel matter.

But, Cisneros said, “I was pleased to see parents come in and express interest in the safety of the school.”