Principal Says He OKd Horse at School Party

As school officials launched an investigation into a horse accident that injured 11 people at an elementary school, the principal who had initially denied responsibility apologized to students and parents Monday for making misleading public statements about whether he authorized having the horse at a campus Halloween party.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is reviewing “anything and everything” relating to the horse accident,” including whether the school violated district policy regarding having animals on campus, said Dan Isaacs, an assistant superintendent in charge of school operations.

Near the end of a costume parade Friday at Castlebay Lane Elementary School, the horse suddenly bolted into the crowd, injuring a parent, nine children and the 18-year-old sister of a student.

Amanda Sanchez, 48, mother of a Castlebay student, was recovering Monday from a concussion and facial cuts at Simi Valley Hospital, where officials listed her in stable condition. The teenager and two students were released Friday after being treated for minor injuries at local hospitals.

All nine students who had been injured attended school Monday, and several felt well enough to attend family fun day at the school Saturday, said Alison Colburn, a parent who volunteers in the office.

Shortly after the incident, Castlebay Principal Robert Caplan told news reporters he did not give permission for the horse to be on campus. But the fifth-grade teacher who rode the horse, Randi Lieber, said she had asked Caplan about it and he had said it would be fine.

In a signed letter Caplan gave students to take home Monday, he wrote: “Mrs. Lieber did have my permission to bring a horse on campus . . . Mrs. Lieber has done nothing wrong and her job is not in jeopardy.”

“I am sorry for what discomfort this has brought upon our community, Mrs. Lieber, as well as the children in her class, and for the misleading statements that I have made,” the letter stated.

The apology arrived hours after a tense meeting attended by nearly 100 parents at the school Monday morning. According to the school’s administration, the main topic of discussion was the campus’ crisis-intervention policies and procedures. But furious parents at the meeting wanted to talk about something else--who to hold responsible for what had happened Friday and their overwhelming suspicion that the principal was trying to duck blame.

“Everyone talked about the fact that Mr. Caplan had lied. We all went crazy,” said Luanne Gold, a parent who attended the meeting. As the leader of the school “It’s a bad example for our children,” she said.

Another parent, Karyn Burleigh, said the meeting “got heated and a lot of parents wanted answers.”

A third parent, who asked not to be identified, said her son had heard Caplan give Lieber permission in front of all the students. Her son then saw Caplan on TV denying everything, and the boy said, pointing at the screen: “He’s lying! He’s lying!”

Caplan went to Lieber’s classroom Monday afternoon to face 34 fifth-graders, all of whom were present when he gave their teacher permission to bring the horse to school last week.

The principal “kept looking down and didn’t look at anybody” while he explained what he did, said Heather Gold, one of the 34 students in Lieber’s class. “He said that he takes full responsibility for everything.”

But when one girl asked the principal why he lied about not having given permission, Caplan said he did not remember making those statements, according to three people at the classroom meeting.

“That didn’t really make me too happy about it, because he did make that statement and we all heard it,” said Breanne Burleigh, a fifth-grader in Lieber’s class.

Lieber said she was glad that Caplan decided to apologize.

“I’m pleased that he accepted full responsibility for this,” she said. “I took the proper steps and got permission from my administrator.”

Caplan, a first-year principal at the school, did not return phone calls Monday.

Meanwhile, officials said that bringing the horse on campus may have violated district policy.

The district’s written policy on animals focuses on using them in the classroom for study and is vague about bringing them on campus for entertainment.

Guidelines require that animals be obtained from regional science centers, allowing “personnel at the centers to select appropriate animals for the classroom and to screen them for health purposes,” according to district documents.

The rules also specify that “animals should be kept in an appropriate cage or enclosure that provides maximum containment of the animals, clean and sanitary conditions, shelter and protection from the weather, and appropriate temperatures and assures safety for the students.”

“We will know more after the investigation,” Isaacs said. “We’re still gathering information.”

Other than prohibiting poisonous animals, the policy--which focuses more on protecting animals than students--does not restrict the size or type of animal allowed on campus.

“Perhaps, we need to enhance the policy,” Isaacs said.

Before an animal is allowed on campus, the policy states that teachers must receive approval from school administrators.

Isaacs said he expects the investigation to be completed “in a relatively short time period.”

Until then, Isaacs said it’s unclear whether disciplinary action will be taken against Caplan.

“It’s easy to second-guess what happened at Castlebay, but the intent of the program was one of entertainment for the children,” Isaacs said. “Unfortunately, it ended up being a tragedy.”