UTLA STATEMENT ON SCHOOL BOARD MOTIONS ON MISCONDUCT

press release via e-mail

Media contact: Marla Eby UTLA Communications Director 213-368-6247

UTLA President Warren Fletcher issued the following statement today:

March 12, 2012  ::  UTLA supports measures to increase student safety, including vigorous and fair investigations of all allegations of misconduct.

While the school board considers changes to policy, it is important to remember that we are in the current situation because LAUSD has not met basic standards of vigilance on a daily basis. LAUSD’s failure of supervision led to a situation at Miramonte Elementary where a single principal supervised staff and more than 1,400 students, with no assistant principal.

LAUSD must not continue its pattern of hasty, misguided responses, such as the removal of the entire Miramonte staff.

To ensure the safety of our students, school board members and District officials must commit to the important work of conducting thorough and sober investigations. All parties must avoid the temptation to grandstand in the face of this critical situation.

LAUSD has 36,000 dedicated teachers and health and human services professionals who do amazing work every day educating the children of Los Angeles. They take seriously the sacred trust they are given as public school educators.