Tucson Unified School District’s Palo Verde High School has been an eventful little monster these past few days: In the beginning of last week, six students were arrested for fighting in the school’s parking lot; and on Friday, there was a lock down over alleged sightings of a young man with a gun on site. At the end of it all, no suspect or gun were found.
TUSD critics, or so-called whistleblowers, are blaming the district’s leadership for the Palo Verde mess, saying a series of events that went undisciplined led to what took place last week.
Here are their thoughts on the situation:
The problems in dealing with discipline at Palo Verde High School (PV) have escalated due to the lack of attention and responsiveness by Superintendent Dr. Sanchez and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Abel Morado. 1010 has become an obstacle for the schools rather than any type of support base. PV is not the only school that is being strangled in effectively dealing with discipline. Students are getting a loud and repeated message that they are able to violate one rule (discipline code) after another and get away with just about anything without the administration taking swift and appropriate action. Site administrators have their hands tied. Central administration does not respond promptly to serious discipline matters and 1010 downplays dangerous situations. The problem continues to intensify and has reached a viable threat to both students and employees. The story at Palo Verde speaks for all comprehensive high schools.
About three and half weeks ago several PV students were ditching and wound up at an apartment complex off of 22nd Street and Kolb (behind the car dealership). Students were congregated in front of a young couple’s apartment while smoking marijuana and being generally disruptive during the school day. The couple asked the students to move away from their apartment. When the couple left their apartment, they were followed by the students to the McDonalds’ Fast Food Restaurant on the southwest corner of 22nd Street and Kolb. Once inside the restaurant, the couple was “jumped” (assaulted) by the students. Police were called. The PV administration immediately contacted 1010 and were instructed by Dr. Abel Morado not to do anything until further instruction. Four days later, the students were suspended for three days- each with an abeyance contract. (Yes, we did say four days later!)
While waiting for the 4 day prolonged response, one of the students involved in the McDonalds’ incident assaulted a PV assistant principal (AP). Charges were not pressed since doing so is considered a TUSD career ender (kiss of death). This student’s suspension was kept to 3 days (for the McDonalds’ incident) and the student is now matriculated at another school. The student has learned that assaulting a school official results in no consequences any students who heard about the incidence have learned the same thing . Students and administrators are being given a repeated message by 1010: Students should not be disciplined either swiftly or at a level that is consistent with the violation. Behind this twisted message is the dictate by Dr. Sanchez to “get the discipline numbers down” so that he can get rid of the desegregation court order. In the process, Dr. Sanchez and his cronies are placing the schools, the students and their staffs in great jeopardy!
The students involved in the McDonalds’ incident breached their abeyance contracts due to absences and other on-going violations. One particular student was identified as being the “ring leader.” The student was recognized for instigating much of the disruptive behavior at PV. It was also rumored that this same student had possession of a hand gun. While following up on each of the students, it was discovered that the “ring leader,” had been expelled from TUSD but that discipline information on TUSD’s student data base (Mojave) had not properly shown the expulsion. Again, central administration was contacted by the PV administration, with NO immediate response. Obviously, the expelled student should have never been allowed to register at PV. The mistake has cost PV in obvious ways which are blatant in this account of the PV situation.
Last Thursday, a physical altercation took place outside of McDonalds, involving several students. African American and Latino students became engaged in a physical fight with racial epitaphs being thrown in each direction. At the end of the fight, African American students involved in the altercation had triumphed over Latino students who were involved, with beaten Latino students on the ground being kicked by African American students. These type of episodes do not take place without the anticipation of follow-up retaliatory action.
The following day, Friday, September 18th, the above referenced “ring leader” was seen brandishing a hand gun, across the street from PV. Police were called and the school was placed on lock-down. A weapon search took place from class to class.
Drs. Sanchez and Morado had no choice but to deal with the matter immediately. Dr. Sanchez was furious at the situation getting out of hand, while issuing knee-jerk orders to several 1010 administrators and swearing as he went from office to office. 1010 directed that all male staff from the African American Students Services Department go to Palo Verde to deal with the situation. This is dumbfounding for obvious reasons. Drs. Sanchez and Morado went to PV to meet with its administrators to help “control” the situation. Meanwhile, parents gathered around the PV fence line as did members of the media. Parents wanted to remove their child from the school until the situation was resolved. Sanchez did not want to face the parents or the media and sent his good soldier Dr. Morado out to deal with the mess. Leadership? NOT!
High school and middle school administrators continue to be told that the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program from Texas and in-house suspension programs are the be-all/end-all to TUSD’s suspension problems. Central administration complains that the money has not been released to quickly put the programs in place as they desire, once again blaming and the Special Master and plaintiffs. Those at the schools doubt that PVs discipline problems could have been dealt with by DAEP and/or in-house suspension since it would be volatile to bring two feuding sides together. TUSD central heads would better serve their students by being more inclusive in their problem solving.
TUSD as a system is breaking down at all levels, beginning with its Mojave student data system. How could an expulsion not have been recorded? How many other expulsions or suspensions have been omitted? Will their omission make TUSD appear better to those monitoring the number of suspensions and expulsions?
Dangerous discipline situations are being allowed to get to a boiling point while site administrators await 1010 up to several days for responses that often seem illogical. Dr. Sanchez’ concern over his image and his obsession in blaming the desegregation court order for everything takes priority over all else, including the safety of students and employees.
On the surface, the recent problems at PV may appear to be a specific problem to PV, however, the problems all point to central administration and its systemic unraveling.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2015.
Well we know it can’t be HT Sanchez’s problem, we pay him almost half a million per year and he visited the White House to praise not disciplining to all that would listen. And it certainly couldn’t be Adelita LaGorda Grijalva’s problem, she was only teaching the kiddies the right to protest when she organized the illegals to storm the city council. And besides, they both conferenced with terrorist bomber Bill Ayers, certainly no influence there.
And it certainly couldn’t be the influence of Raul (Mr. MEChA) Grijalva.
They are all such great role models – for thugs.
“Racial epitaphs”? Methinks the author(s) of this opinionated diatribe meant, “racial epithets”. Or maybe they didn’t.
No mention of any sources, either. Even an anonymous source would lend a touch of credibility to what otherwise reads as a paranoid/hate screed against TUSD in general and the superintendent and assistant superintendent in particular.
I have friends that live in that apartment complex , they confirmed what was said in this letter. I know people that work in that McDonalds, they confirmed this. Other businesses in that plaza have also complained . I have inside sources at TUSD that have not only confirmed the PV issue but stated similar situations around the district. I have friends that are teachers and administrator all say they get no support from administration , and discipline issues are overwhelming them . I have witnessed Sanchez ‘ bully pulpit tactics , I have seen the fear of employees first hand. there are many sources out there that say the same thing , just open your eyes and you’ll see for yourself what a mess Sanchez has created. I have read every letter the whistle blowers have written , I have checked them out for my self and found them truthful, you should do the same before making comments like this. I support the whistle blowers and always will.
For years TUSD has transferred expelled students for weapons and behavior violations. I thought everybody knew that. But this behavior must not and can not be tolerated. Bring pressure to bear on the guilty and file criminal charges for the assault on the employee.
Where is OSHA? The schools have become unsafe to work in.
Sue the district if you can not get satisfaction. Include payment for loss of job in the total amount. Because they WILL get even with you for telling the truth.
@Brian Sauber ~ u gotta a lotta friends. Know anybody in the White House, too?
No one ever mentions where or what the parents are doing, or even if they are involved. This type of behavior by students generally is due to lack of supervision and control at home. If there is one.
This is truly sad. Some of the best teachers and site administrators that I know work in TUSD schools, including at Palo Verde HS. They are poorly served by a self-serving cadre of District “leaders” who rarely show their faces on campuses, especially high schools.
It is unconscionable that any principal would have to wait four days for his superiors to offer him direction and support while he and his staff are dealing with a serious disciplinary matter. Are these the same collection of hypocrites who recently spent thousand of taxpayer dollars on advertising to promote Palo Verde in the community? How many parents will pull their kids from the school, or decide not to enroll there after all, because of the shameless lack of action by TUSD central administration?
Leaders demonstrate their mettle and their sincere commitment to those they serve during times of crisis. Once again, TUSD’s incompetent and arrogant passel of hacks demonstrate that they could care less about the needs and concerns of the people at the site level. Once again, it will be the students who suffer the most because their school district lacks leaders at the top who can match the dedication and work ethic of the staff at the sites.
Jose, I do have a lot of friends , better yet I’ve things out, how about you? You clearly missed the point of this, I am not the subject here , try again
This has nothing to do with the schools and EVERYTHING to do with the parents who don’t care what their children are doing because they are too busy making more children as it is a Social Service BUSINESS:
Hispanic births, drive 78% US population growth. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/……
AND this is their parents:
Murder Rate for Hispanics Is Twice the Murder Rate for Whites http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarma…
47% of ALL gang members are HISPANIC the rest are ALL the other nationalities in the WORLD.
Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/02/18/a-ri…
Hispanics, including both men and women, are twice as likely to see domestic violence. http://www.latintimes.com/hispanic-domesti…
These events are where TUSD has been moving for decades, TUSD being the administration, the school board, the parents, and members of the media. All have been letting this happen. Sweeping violence, grade inflation, ill treatment of all sorts under the rug. The Weekly is (more than usual) serving the public well by publishing Ms Taracena’s article.
If I was caught fighting at school, my dad would beat me worse. But that’s another story. Maybe Sanchez doesn’t want to get involved because the kids are Hispanic and that would give his heritage a bad name. Traditionally, Blacks and Mexicans have disliked each other for generations, nothing has changed.
Perhaps we can look back a couple years when PV & Rincon (yes 2 high schools were deemed failed in the same year)
At the time I felt it was inexcusable so no excuses please.
PV is a mid-town school with mid-town problems just like problems in the surrounding area. Poverty and homelessness abound. While all mid-town schools (including mine) work tirelessly to model and enforce moral and just behavior, schools can’t be expected to reach into every home and turn every kid not only into a model student, but also a model citizen. It sounds like the rumor mill is in full swing and hysteria has set in. Expulsions with no paper trails may or may not be an issue, but even if an expulsion had been noted in Mojave, law dictates that he’s got to be enrolled in school. Maybe we should fund a jail-style-prep-charter – oh wait, we already do.
Reformatory schools worked. That’s why we stopped using them. We wanted the little criminals to build up their self esteem…by beating down somebody else?