High School Race Issue

As a former resident of Oxnard who attended Channel Islands High School, and as the mother of a student and friend of parents with children attending CIHS, I am concerned over current issues haunting its administration, teachers, students and parents.

The arrogance on the part of the Oxnard Union High School District and school administrators and their attitude of superiority over Latino students is well known. It occurs at the elementary levels as well; Latino students are often placed in inferior classes while others are automatically placed in more challenging classes, simply because of ethnicity.

Latino children are assumed to be inferior. Now, accusations of biased administrators and policies at CIHS are considered by the district and the principal to be meaningless, without substance. They apparently believe that the fuss will go away, that Latinos are raising issues they either are incapable of pursuing or just won’t follow through on.

Having spoken with several of the individuals who are following up on complaints at CIHS, I am convinced that legitimate issues are being uncovered and substantiated in a meticulous, methodical manner. It would behoove both the principal and the superintendent to take this effort by parents, students and members of the community very seriously.

There is a formidable sense of dedication to an important cause among the Committee for Academic Justice that will not go away by just ignoring it. The question is: How much do the principal in question and the Oxnard Union High School District care about resolving these issues, finding remedies and taking action to remove negative forces and implement sound policies consistent with the California Education Code, policies applied equally to all students regardless of ethnicity, social status, wealth and background?

SHARON I. DREYER, Long Beach