ALHAMBRA : School Panel Suspended Until Plan Is Reviewed

The Alhambra school board has suspended until spring the meetings of the Human Relations Advisory Committee, many of whose members object to the board’s action.

The committee was formed two years ago after incidents of race-related violence at a local high school.

On Nov. 15, the board of the Alhambra City and High School Districts voted to accept the advisory committee’s recommendations on providing racial and cultural sensitivity training for parents, teachers, staff and students. The board also decided it will take until spring for administrators to study the plan and integrate the committee’s recommendations into the curriculum, so the advisory committee was suspended until then.

Advisory Committee Chairman Jose Calderon and other committee members said the suspension came as a surprise. They said the committee could be working on other issues while district administrators review the recommendations.

The report submitted to the school board includes four goals: promoting multicultural programs as a way of dealing with racism; reviewing the district’s procedures for disciplining and expelling students; promoting multicultural awareness among parents, and developing programs that explain the effects of racism and prejudice.