Ventura Schools Chief Asks for Parents’ Help in Ending Violence

In an open letter to the community, Ventura schools Supt. Joseph Spirito appealed to parents Friday for their help in working with administrators and teachers to halt violence and gang activity on school grounds.

Spirito’s public appeal came on the same day that a 17-year-old Buena High School student was charged with stabbing a classmate in the chest earlier in the week. Jeremy Addison, who suffered a collapsed lung, remains in the hospital in stable condition.

His alleged assailant will be arraigned in Ventura County Juvenile Court on Monday. The youth, whose name is being withheld because of his age, remains in custody in Juvenile Hall.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Trish Kelliher said that based on information she has gathered on the case she decided not to try the boy as an adult. She declined to elaborate.

The stabbing took place shortly after noon Wednesday in the parking lot of Buena High School and in full view of dozens of students.

It occurred during the first week of an imposed series of security measures at Ventura High. The Ventura Unified School District had approved the measures in hopes of curtailing gang activities and discouraging violence.

In his letter, Spirito lamented the district’s actions but said school officials had little choice but to take a more aggressive stand against a serious problem that needed the support of the entire community.

“Our schools no longer have the luxury of teaching the 3 Rs,” he wrote. “We are now required to teach about drugs, alcohol, teen-age pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, sex education, self-esteem, and yes, even the dangers of violence. We accept this challenge, but we cannot do this alone.”

He asked parents and other community members to join PTAs or volunteer to patrol school grounds.

Earlier this week, the district instituted a strict dress code banning all hats and other headgear, revoked off-campus lunch passes and closed a section of Poli Street, which divides the school, to lessen the chance of drive-by shootings.

The actions were taken in part because of the public outcry over the Jan. 29 stabbing death of Ventura High student Jesse Strobel. The 17-year-old was killed off campus in what police believe was a gang-related attack.

Spurred by this week’s incident at Buena High, school officials said they are now considering hiring more campus aides to help supervise students at the district’s three high schools.

The school board, however, decided against hiring uniformed police officers as proposed earlier. Instead, school officials will work with police to establish an anti-gang program at each of the high schools.

A group of parents this week volunteered to help patrol Ventura and Buena high schools to guard against trespassers and to ensure that students do not leave campus at inappropriate times.

Meanwhile, two teen-agers admitted to authorities Friday they had made bomb threats that forced the evacuation of Anacapa Middle School in Ventura on Wednesday. The two minors, ages 13 and 14, were arrested and later released to their parents.

Spirito said Friday that more than anything else he needs the help of parents to ensure the safety of students on campus.

“We can’t do it alone,” he said.

Text of Spirito Letter

The following is the full text of the letter released Friday by Joseph P. Spirito, superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District.

This is an open letter to parents requesting support for the decisions which the Ventura Unified School District Governing School Board and I, as superintendent, have made with respect to our district-wide dress code, the closing of Poli Street (on a trial basis), the closed campus at Ventura High School for the next 30 days, a D.A.R.E. program for the three high schools, and the consideration of increased campus security.

At a time when limited funds are preventing us from reducing class size, purchasing adequate supplies, materials and equipment, and paying adequate salaries for staff, I now find it necessary to recommend to the governing board that we use our limited resources to increase security measures to provide a safe environment for our children.

Unfortunately, we live in a society laden with violence. Our students see violence in movies, on TV and read about it in books and magazines. Even some of the toys parents purchase for their children are expressions and tools of violence. Our schools no longer have the luxury to just teach the 3 Rs. We are now required to teach about drugs and alcohol, teen-age pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, sex education, self-esteem, and yes, even the dangers of violence. We accept this challenge, but we cannot do this alone. We will continue to do whatever we can to provide quality education and to provide a safe environment for your children. However, we need your help.

I am making a plea to all parents to work with us to serve as role models for your children to help them understand why we must take measures to ensure their safety. When some of you tell me that I am infringing upon your child’s individual rights, or creating a facsimile of a prison by closing a campus, tightening the dress code, or increasing security, I believe the wrong message is being given to our children. Who can really disagree with the notion that the education and safety of our children is of utmost importance to all of us? Yet, there are times when I feel we are not pulling together. Our teachers are feeling frustrated because they are expected to be law enforcement officers, campus guards, and crime investigators instead of masters of teaching. You hold us accountable for your child’s learning and safety. Yet, when we need you to come in and talk with us about your child’s educational progress or misbehavior, there are some who tell us that is our job . . . that you’re too busy trying to make ends meet. We appreciate that everyone is busy, but we must join hands and work together as a team.

I realize there are many parents who are supportive. Without the volunteers working in our schools and in our PTA/PTO’s, we couldn’t survive. To all of you on behalf of all of us, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. For those parents who leave the responsibility of educating their children and providing a safe environment free of violence to us, alone, I am appealing to them to take some time out of their busy lives to help and support us. Thus, our children can experience how the home and school together can provide a quality of life second to none.

All of us, including teachers, counselors, psychologists, classified personnel and administrators, know that more needs to be done. We are not naive. We have not cornered the market on excellence. However, we will never give up. We are earnest in our commitment to provide a quality education for all 15,500 of our students. Our children are the future of this country. They are our pride and joy, our most precious commodity. Join with me and together we will prevail. May God bless all of our children.