Jury Clears District of Racism Charges
The Ventura County Grand Jury has cleared the Fillmore Unified School District of racism charges stemming from disciplinary action taken against six Latino students during a political rally in September.
Students from the district had been allowed to attend an event billed as a birthday party for Joanne Kemp, wife of vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp.
But the party quickly turned political as students were handed Kemp signs and leaflets.
Some college-age Latino students, began protesting Republican views on affirmative action and illegal immigration.
A pushing match broke out, and the district disciplined one Latino teacher for taking his class to the rally without district notification and suspended six Latino students for not returning to class when ordered.
The jury ruled that the district was not racially motivated when disciplining the students.
Grand jurors added that school officials allowed students to attend without realizing the aggressive nature of national political events.
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