Principal Failed in Handling Fight

It is a sad state of affairs when a teen is brutally attacked because of another’s ignorance (“Teen’s Attack Investigated,” June 13). [The principal] writes it off as a mere altercation between two teens, when it is fairly obvious that it is a prejudiced act of violence. When the principal seems to do little more than slap the alleged offender’s wrist for such a frightful crime, it seems to me that he is almost condoning the action.

If a 1300 SAT score is a valid excuse to allegedly physically harm another individual, then this society is in far worse shape than any of us have ever imagined. This sadly shows the ignorance and hatred still present in our schools today. Something must be done to end this hatred and prejudice, and it should start with this principal, supposedly a role model.

When a principal allows atrocities like this to go almost unpunished, then something must be done to rectify this situation immediately so that the cycle of violence does not continue.

RYAN ANDERSON

Villa Park

* I was outraged after reading Huntington Beach High School Principal Jim Staunton’s disregard for this incident. These incidents should be taken more seriously and regarded as the hate crimes that they are.

Because Staunton recognized the football player as being an “excellent” student who scored 1300 on his SAT test and didn’t mention a thing about the victim’s character, I would be inclined to think that he was disregarding this incident for either personal or political reasons, not because it was merely a fight.

JOANNE CAVANAGH

Westminster