DEMOTED ORVILLE WRIGHT M.S. PRINCIPAL ALLEGES RACIAL DISCRIMINATION BY LAUSD

Former Westchester middle school principal fights LAUSD over his demotion By Rob Kuznia Staff Writer, Daily Breeze | http://bit.ly/KnhhbY

Westchester: Ex-Orville Wright principal considers legal action against LAUSD By Gary Walker, The Arg0naut (Marina del Rey, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Westchester, Venice and Santa Monica) http://bit.ly/LiJpDp

School kids at Orville Wright Middle School in Westchester hold signs of support for demoted principal Dr. Kenneth Pride, at far left. Pride was demoted for mishandling an alledged sexual assault on a school bus. (Brad Graverson / Staff Photographer) Photo Gallery 6/19/2012 07:56:42 PM PDT  ::  A former principal who was demoted from his post at a Westchester middle school for his handling of an alleged sexual assault between students on a school bus is waging a public relations war against the Los Angeles Unified School District. Kenneth Pride, former principal of Orville Wright Middle School, says the action taken against him was unjust and even smacks of racial discrimination. Pride and a group of supporters held a press conference Tuesday in front of the school, where a line of speakers - including Pride himself - praised the reforms he brought to the school. He served as principal for about a year until November, and currently works as a roving teacher in the district. Pride and his supporters held the press conference Tuesday because they say they've reached the end of the school year and still aren't satisfied with LAUSD's response to his request for an investigation. They blasted the LAUSD for meting out a punishment that they say is out of proportion with the alleged offense. "It's just appalling to see that Los Angeles Unified is trying to get rid of people who are doing the right thing," said Denny Schneider of the Westchester Neighborhood Association, which is raising money for Pride's legal defense. Although the incident in May 2011 preceded the now-infamous allegations of sex-abuse at Miramonte Elementary School in LAUSD - where a teacher stands accused of molesting up to 23 students - Pride and his supporters believe the unwillingness of LAUSD leaders to budge on his case is at least partly the result of a political climate created by that event. "People are running scared because of what happened at Miramonte," Pride said Tuesday. "People say `sexual nature? Oh my God, head for the hills."' Students from Orville Wright Middle School in Westchester rally around their demoted principal Dr. Kenneth Pride, center, at a noon hour protest. He was demoted for mishandling a sexual incident on a school bus. (Brad Graverson / Staff Photographer) Pride, who hired a public relations professional to get the word out to the media, said he was one of just 10 black principals in all of LAUSD's secondary schools. "I have been a victim of racial discrimination as an African-American principal," he said. "I have seen a pattern of racial discrimination when it comes to retaining and mentoring African-American principals." LAUSD communications officials declined to talk about his specific case, citing personnel confidentiality laws. And LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer, who represents Westchester, did not return calls from the Daily Breeze on Tuesday. But Pride's version of what happened is as follows: The incident on the bus happened off campus in May 2011. According to Pride and other sources, an eighth-grade boy coerced a sixth-grade girl to perform oral sex. Pride says he was told by district officials that employees, upon learning of an alleged sexual assault, must immediately notify either local law enforcement or the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. And yet, he says, although he was the fourth district employee to learn of the incident, he was the only one punished. The bus driver, who Pride said witnessed the incident, did not report it. The driver's boss, who learned of the assault from the parent of a witness, banned the student from the bus, but did not notify either the school's administration or legal authorities. Later that May, a teacher at the school noticed a commotion among the students in her classroom. They were passing around a girl's journal. One entry mentioned the incident on the bus. The teacher brought the journal to Pride. "I'm the fourth person in," he said. "The journal did not have enough information for me to form a reasonable suspicion. ... There was no name of a victim." He added that he immediately called the parent of a witness. She wasn't home, but the parent soon emailed the teacher to confirm the rumor. The teacher forwarded the email to Pride. "I turned it over to my assistant principal, and said `Let's jump on this. It looks like it's real,"' he said. The assistant principal suspended the student, who was ultimately expelled. "The district said because of this egregious nature, that I should not have delegated," he said. "The district said I didn't act fast enough, that I was derelict in my duties." He added that he received no complaints from either the parent of the victim or the parent of the alleged perpetrator. Teachers and parents at Tuesday's event credited Pride for making big improvements during the year he was there. They say he landed a $50,000 grant, created a math-and-science weekend academy, restored a music department that had been cut, created a partnership with the YMCA to add swimming to the P.E. curriculum and started an academic decathlon team. They also credit him for attracting back many of the affluent, white families in the neighborhood that had fled years ago in response to legally required integration through busing. "People in this community began to see Orville Wright as an option for their children," said Nicole King, a parent whose grown children and grandson attended the school. "It was not that type of school when my older children were here." But according to the California Department of Education, the proportion of white students in the school has actually held fairly steady, around 13 percent, from 2008-09 through this school year. Pride's supporters maintain the school has lost as many as 400 students since he left. The school's API scores dipped from 2010 to 2011, from 755 to 736. The 2012 scores will come out in August. Reached at school, Wright's interim principal - whose last day was Tuesday - had kind words for Pride. Susan Allen came out of retirement to help out at the school as an assistant principal. She worked with Pride for a few months but then became interim principal when he was demoted. "I have nothing but admiration and respect for him," Allen said. "It was very hard on the school when he left." But she refrained from commenting on the actual incident, saying it occurred before she came to the campus. Tuesday's event coincided with the last day of school, and many students streaming out of the building stopped by to hug their former principal. "Why did you leave?" asked a girl as Pride hugged about four students at once. "Why did I leave?" he asked. "Because someone told me I had to.

21 June 2012  ::  Nearly a year after an incident between two middle school students triggered the demotion of a popular Westchester principal, several of his supporters gathered at the site of his dismissal to listen to the latest development in the case that has captured the attention of much of the Westchester community. At a June 19 press conference, Former Orville Wright Middle School Principal Dr. Kenneth Pride announced that a state agency stands ready to seek action on his behalf against the Los Angeles Unified School District for discriminatory acts if district officials do not resolve his case. “I have been a victim of racial discrimination and along with my family, have suffered intolerably, including the loss of benefits,” he told the audience. “(LAUSD’s actions) are a violation of federal and state laws as well as of our collective bargaining agreement, and LAUSD needs to resolve it. “(The LAUSD school board) has the authority, they have the power to do so, vested in them by the state of California.” Pride, who is African-American, was demoted last year after an alleged sexual assault on a school bus that district officials say should have been reported in a fashion other than the way it was reported by the former principal. The demotion of Pride, who did not witness the event, led to a high-spirited public discussion among parents, community members and students at the middle school Nov. 7, where practically the entire audience demanded the ex-principal’s reinstatement. The next day, a number of students staged a walk-out to protest LAUSD’s action. Flanked by several supporters at the press conference, Pride talked about his plans if the district does not respond to his requests and gave a brief summation on last year’s events. Currently, he is one of several “pool” teachers, which are effectively substitute teachers. The former principal said he had never been disciplined in any fashion and the demotion took him and his family by surprise. As one of less than 10 African-American principals in the district, he claimed he never received any mentoring or guidance as a first-year LAUSD principal. Pride alleged he has seen a pattern of racial discrimination in how LAUSD handled his case versus how similar or more egregious cases were managed. “I am a victim of systemic, racial discriminatory patterns when it comes to hiring, retaining and mentoring African-American males,” he asserted. “I say simply, look as the data in the district.” LAUSD officials claimed that Pride should have placed a call immediately to Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family after learning of an action that rises to the level of child abuse. In an exclusive interview with The Argonaut Jan. 26, Pride said LAUSD told him that he should have contacted the county department, even though a part of the policy bulletin states that if administrators have a reasonable suspicion that child abuse has occurred, they are to notify the county department or a local law enforcement agency. “I had not had a reasonable suspicion at that time,” he said. “What happened to the subjective part of reasonable suspicion?” Pride said he believed that he needed more information about the situation. “I don’t feel that I’ve done anything wrong,” he reiterated. “But again, I’m just a player in the game.” Parent volunteer Nicole King, whose children and grandson attended Orville Wright, said she met Pride last year. “I found him to be one of the most talented, effective and insightful administrators that I’ve encountered in a very long time,” King said. “This extremely punitive action is an assault on our academic well-being as well as our students in this community.” Denny Schneider, who spoke as a member of the Westchester Neighborhood Association, denounced the district for what he said was its failure to listen to the community. “I am just appalled to see that L.A. Unified is trying to get rid of people who are trying to do the right things instead of (those who) do the wrong ones,” he said. “It’s time to make this a better place for our kids, not worse.” Schneider, who is also a member of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester-Playa, said the neighborhood association has offered to use funds that they have raised as a legal fund if Pride seeks legal action. The ex-principal said the press conference was a “precursor to any action” that he might take if the district does not respond. “There are state actions that are available to me, as well as an action through the court system. But I wanted to avoid those things,” Pride told The Argonaut. “I’m giving them the opportunity to do the right thing.” Before and after the press conference, parents, teachers and students embraced the former principal like a long-lost friend. Several of the students inquired about his status and if he would be returning to the school. “When are you coming back, Dr. Pride?” asked two female students. Nancy McCloud, a physical education teacher at Orville Wright, called Pride “a breath of fresh air.” McCloud, who teaches sixth, seventh and eighth grades, said Pride had the devotion of the students and the respect of the faculty. “When both groups are happy, that means that you’re a special person,” she said. According to a group of parents at the school, there has been an exodus of students since Pride was demoted. Pride said he would consider returning to the middle school that he led for slightly more than a year. “I miss the children,” he said. “I love these children. “When I set foot near this school and kids run up to me, it breaks my heart… every single time.” Pride said he has not spoken with LAUSD Board Member Steve Zimmer, who represents Westchester, in over a year. “Perhaps he feels that it would not be politically expedient (to address Pride’s case),” he said. “Steve Zimmer has not supported me in what I’ve tried to accomplish. It’s as if I had a contagious disease.” Zimmer could not be reached for comment as of Argonaut press time. Pride said he had no timetable for filing the action, but reiterated that he would not back down. “If I hear nothing, I will continue to move forward with what I believe in,” he said. “I’m absolutely fearless, and I will do what is appropriate.” Edward Brownley, a former educator who volunteers at Orville Wright, said he has been impressed with Pride’s professionalism from the first day they met. “This gentleman has transformed this school,” said Brownley, a Playa del Rey resident. “The community is demanding that he be reinstated.” Pride seemed buoyed by the outpouring of emotions that his former students and faculty members displayed towards him at the press conference. “It’s an incredible feeling,” he said with a smile. “It’s something that I’ve never experienced in my life. “(Their support) is what keeps me going.”