Petitions Circulated in Bid to Keep Principal

Circulating a petition under Wednesday’s hot afternoon sun, Michelle Frailich--a parent of students at Atherwood School in Simi Valley--bemoaned the planned transfer of the elementary school’s beloved principal.

The 32-year-old mother and a group of other parents have already gathered about 200 signatures on the petition, which demands that Principal Beverley Radloff not be moved to a new school.

Although they have been told by school administrators that the reassignment is routine, parents say they believe that Radloff is being punished for how an alleged sexual harassment complaint by a fourth-grade student was handled.

“I think either she’s being blamed for it or the district is trying to protect itself by giving the impression that they are doing something,” said Frailich, who has two children at the school.

Neither district Supt. Mary Beth Wolford nor Radloff could be reached for comment Wednesday.

The harassment complaint involved a 9-year-old girl who alleged earlier this year that a classmate continually picked on her and at one point taunted her with a pickle saying, “Hey, this is your new boyfriend.”

The girl said she felt humiliated and embarrassed, and her mother later filed a complaint against the district alleging that the incident was mishandled.

But other parents defended the principal and the school.

“They did everything right,” said parent Heather Collins, who also has two children at the school. “Doing this to Ms. Radloff sends the wrong message. . . . They should be defending her, not trying to punish her.”

Collins praised Radloff’s work at the school, saying that over the principal’s 4 1/2 years at Atherwood, she had succeeded in making it a standout in the district.

On Tuesday, a group of parents plan to picket the school along with some teachers in support of Radloff; that evening, they also intend to protest at the school board meeting.