MeChA School Gets Go-Ahead From School District

Kevin Reed is chief legal counsel for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

He was dispatched to Academia Semillas del Pueblo--a taxpayer funded charter school in Los Angeles-- after the district received numerous complaints about their discriminatory admissions policy and racist or separatist curriculum.

(Here [1] and here [2] for background.)

According to an AP story in the San Jose Mercury News, District clears charter school catering to Mexican students [3]by Oskar Garcia Associated Press 6/05/06

"Responding to allegations of discrimination, the school district has concluded that an elementary school catering to students of Mexican descent is following its charter, officials said Monday."

In the same article, LAUSD lawyer Kevin Reed was quoted as saying,

"They have followed the charter that they wrote originally," said Kevin Reed, chief legal counsel for the district. "What we care about is that the curriculum is inclusive and not exclusive."

As to the first half of his statement, following their original charter is precisely the problem--maybe he missed that part. As to the second half, if the school district requires inclusive curriculum then why is this MeCha, separatist school still open???

Meanwhile back at the Hall of Doom...

Guest columnist Jennifer Solis (graduate of Belmont High School 2004) wrote a love letter for the LA Daily News about Academia Semillas.

School regenerates immigrants' pride [4]by Jennifer Solis La Daily News 6/6/06

From the sappy title to the derisory by-line, this article is a perfect example of an undeserved sense of entitlement run amok--a perfect example of why so many people are fed-up with the wide-array of immigrant coddling policies that seem to have taken America hostage.

Here are a few nauseating excerpts:

Referring to a group of parents who gathered at the school last Saturday, she said they wanted the schoold district to "renew the charter later this year and keep the unique program aimed at instilling pride in children of Mexican and American Indian background."

Aside from the fact that instill Mexican pride in school children falls just below domesticate a clan of hyenas on my personal List Of Things To Do Before I'm 35, this heritage preservation garbage is not a should not be a tax obligation for anyone.

And by the way, last Saturday was enrollment day for Academia Semillas--those people were probably just there to enroll their children in school.

Her explanation for the assault on a KABC reporter last week was interesting...

"The 253-pupil academy became a cause celebre recently when a local talk-radio station criticized the school's principal and sent a reporter to interview him, the parents and students. One of the parents, believing the reporter was taking pictures of the kids, chased him and confiscated his tape, which turned out to be audio, not video."

She also said that Principal Marcos Aguilar apologized and the school "is continually on the alert for child predators, and the incident was an over-reaction to the presence of a stranger with recording equipment."

Right...

1. Academia Semallias del Pueblo charter school did not become a "cause celebre" until the principal--Marcos Aguilar (email [5]him)--decided to make racist remarks about white people and that prompted the McIntyre in the Morning Show [6] to take a closer look at the school.

2. It was a "parent" who tried to run over KABC reporter Sandy Wells not a black t-shirt wearing Aztlan thug? [7]

3. Reporter Sandy Wells might have been a child predator and that is why he was tackled and robbed? Did they miss the part where he checked in with the front desk? Or the part where he was leaving the school grounds (without a child in tow) when the attack occured?

Jennifer Soliz must know Aguilar personally because she included information about his work history which has so far been hazy.

For example, Aguilar was a teacher at Garfield High School and according to Soliz, he left the school over frustration with the drop-out rate.

"He attributes the lack of motivation to succeed to the denial of culturally relevant programs and to an inflexible desire to Americanize first-generation students in the elementary grades."

Perhaps the explanation for the disproportionately high drop-out rate among Hispanic students is the fact that people like Aguilar so eager to blame anything but the students themselves. In this case, California public schools have apparently failed to customize the coursework to suit the indivual culture.

How about this: If the academic success of a Mexican student is predicated on culture-oriented curriculum then why don't they go to school in Mexico?

Finally, the author explains how (legally) this school is allowed to exist:

"The district requires charters to follow LAUSD policy "except in those areas they specifically describe in their charters, such as curriculum, pedagogy, philosophy, personnel and governance.""

A charter school has to follow the same rules as non-charter schools except when it comes to curriculum, philosophy etc...

So basically, charter schools can do anything they want.

Hmm...how about an all-White charter school enmeshed in Nazi philosophy for the purpose of promoting the Aryan culture--all on your nickel?

By all means, reject the idea but first tell me why one is acceptable and the other is not.