Latino Leaders Continue Quest to Oust School Principal

Latino community leaders continued to push Tuesday for the resignation of the principal at Channel Islands High School, saying he is insensitive to Latino students and unfairly tried to fire a top Latino administrator.

Gathered at the Oxnard office of a Latino advocacy group, activists once again demanded the removal of Principal Jim Nielsen, accusing him of violations of civil rights and of the state’s education code.

Last week, 10 Latino organizations handed a four-page letter to officials of the Oxnard Union High School District, accusing Nielsen of trying to force out Assistant Principal Chris Gonzalez and threatening retaliation if he discussed the matter.

Nielsen was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but last week declined to comment on the specifics of the case. District officials did not return phone calls.

The Latino critics broadened their attack Tuesday, accusing Nielsen of violating the free speech of students during a school rally and unfairly punishing youngsters who walked off campus to protest passage of anti-bilingual education measure.

“He’s unfair and he’s not considerate of Latinos,” said 14-year-old Alex Linares, who said he was suspended for five days and forced to go to another school for joining a protest march at Channel Islands High in June. “He overreacted in every way.” District officials have said they are reviewing the allegations but have refused to discuss the matter, citing personnel issues.

But community leaders said Tuesday they will keep the pressure on until Nielsen is removed and the district looks hard into anti-Latino incidents they say have gone unchecked at Channel Islands High School.

“It has to be made clear this isn’t just about saving Mr. Gonzalez’s job,” said UC Berkeley student Nicolas Crisosto, who graduated from Channel Islands in 1993. “It’s about the way students and teachers have been treated. The community is angry, really angry.”