The public outcry at Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School has spread across the Boyle Heights community, with teachers, parents, and neighborhood leaders asking for more transparency from LAUSD as rumors continue to swirl over the removal of Principal Mauro Bautista.
Teachers on Thursday picketed outside the school in support of Bautista. They’re hoping to have him reinstated in time to attend the Class of 2024’s graduation on Friday. They’ve also sent letters via emails to Los Angeles Unified School District officials, accusing them of mishandling an investigation involving Bautista, who was abruptly removed from campus more than a month ago.
In numerous emails, including nearly a dozen reviewed by Boyle Heights Beat, the teachers allege “repeated violations” in the investigation, including the sharing of confidential information by district officials and changes to the classification of Bautista’s removal. It appears that officials are now calling Bautista’s case an “exploration,” instead of an investigation. Several teachers also allege the principal’s removal is a result of retaliation after tense budget negotiations.
The escalation of complaints come as faculty say rumors are circulating that staff and students of the school have overheard or been told details of the investigation by members of the school district, including the names of faculty involved.
Community School Coordinator Emily Grijalva said an operations coordinator for Community Schools of East L.A. was in her office while on a call discussing the investigation and could be heard sharing names of multiple staff members involved.
“I felt kind of shocked, almost in disbelief. I thought, ‘Am I really hearing this right now? You’re in my office talking about this in front of me,’” Grijalva said. “I think the way that [LAUSD’s Local District East] has been handling this has been very unprofessional.”
LAUSD officials declined to comment on the allegations.
Several parents of students at the school have joined in on email complaints and say they are upset because the lack of transparency and new information leaks may be damaging to the reputation of Bautista and other involved faculty. The district has not responded to repeated demands for more information and transparency about the nature of the investigation, citing that “personnel matters are confidential.”
Jonathan Everhart, a parent with a child at Mendez, sent emails to district officials and also filed a formal complaint with the district’s Education and Equity Compliance office, calling the district’s handling of this case “reckless and irresponsible.”
“[The investigation] has resulted in harm to students, parents, and staff and has permanently damaged the reputation of the district and parents’ trust in the process we hope that would ensure the safety of our children,” Everhart wrote. He added that “rumors have flown around the school, the district, and the city,” as a result of the district’s lack of communication.
Israel Bautista, Mauro Bautista’s brother and teacher at different campus of LAUSD, told Boyle Heights Beat via a written statement that those rumors have affected his family’s health.
“I hold LAUSD fully accountable for allowing these rumors to fester given that the district has had multiple opportunities to silence these rumors directly without violating confidentiality,” Israel Bautista said.
Bautista, who became assistant principal when the school opened in 2009 and was promoted to principal in 2011, has been absent since April 29. District officials sent a message notifying the school community about his absence but included no reason. According to students and staff, John Cerezo, an assistant principal at the school, has also been absent without explanation, but was brought back temporarily during AP testing.
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“Free Jefe!”: Mendez High School students walk out to protest principal’s monthlong absence
Teachers at Mendez High School are also asking their employer to clarify if Bautista remains under investigation after LAUSD’s Region East Administrator of Operations Gilberto Martinez shared at a faculty meeting last Friday that officials are no longer calling Bautista and Cerezo’s cases “investigations” but rather “explorations.” Now they’re asking if Bautista and Cerezo will be reinstated, citing district policy found in Bulletin 044381.1, which states that it is investigations that lead to a reassignment.
The recent emails also show teachers and at least one parent, claiming Bautista’s removal is a result of retaliation against the principal over his proposed 2024-2025 budget. Grijalva, the community school coordinator, says a few weeks before Bautista’s removal, a tense budget negotiation ended with the loss of eight teachers versus the 10 district leadership had initially proposed. When the district approved Bautista’s budget on April 3, it came with a letter expressing “concern regarding its lack of alignment with our established priorities.” The district also warned that no additional funding would be available for resources that were left out of the budget.
In one email, Lizette Toribio, a second-year English teacher at Mendez, credits Bautista with saving her position and that of her co-teacher after they were tapped for “displacement.”
Toribio said that Bautista recognized large classes of nearly 40 students “would not be conducive to learning.”
“Through his advocacy for students, parents and staff, he urged the district to decrease the number of displacements,” Toribio told Boyle Heights Beat.
See photos:
High School students on the Eastside march to City Hall
The controversy has also gained attention from neighborhood leaders. This week a coalition of 10 community youth and social justice advocacy organizations, including Inner City Struggle, sent district officials a joint letter expressing concern over the lack of transparency and communication from LAUSD, calling the situation at Mendez High School “volatile” and, “at times, unsafe.”
“The precarious situation resulting from the District’s approach at Mendez is unacceptable and must be addressed immediately. Our students, families, school staff, and community depend on your leadership to address this situation and bring back stability and progress at Mendez High School,” the letter read. “The success of Mendez High School would not be possible without the guidance, direction, and leadership of Principal Bautista.”
Last week, students held sit-ins on campus and were joined by other Eastside schools on a march to City Hall. District officials held meetings with students, staff and parents, many ending without answers.
On Tuesday, several students, parents and staff attended an L.A. Unified School Board meeting held at the district headquarters just west of downtown L.A.
“The district has failed to communicate with staff, students and parents. It’s caused us a lot of strain on our education. We’re all taking finals, we’re all taking AP classes, we’re just asking for you guys to communicate,” said Maya Everheart-Sanchez, a sophomore at Mendez High School, during public comment.
LAUSD Board Member Rocio Rivas, who represents District 2, serving Boyle Heights and other Eastside schools, said in a statement on Thursday that although she is not involved in the investigation, she hoped the matter could be resolved as quickly as possible. She also acknowledged the district’s need for confidentiality in personnel matters and called for more communication.
“To serve the best interests of our students and educators at Mendez, the District must continue reviewing the concerns raised, provide clear communication with the Mendez HS community to the greatest extent possible, hear voices from all perspectives, and follow the facts wherever they lead us,” Rivas said.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article said Israel Bautista was a former, not current educator at LAUSD.
The LAUSD Officials in the office of operations should be removed from their positions due to failure to adhere to their own protocols.
These administrators of Operations and Local Directors are responsible for the turmoil created by this case and should face consequences both professional and legally through civil court.
A lawsuit should be filed on behalf of the Mendez community against LAUSD and these individuals for their involvement.
Lausd East district under the leadership of Huerta and his cronies are insult to the boyle heights education community.
They are literally there on lifelong recess not supporting principals or school level administrators. They are infamous for their retaliation tactics led by Huerta.
It’s time for an overhaul of the leaders. I don’t know if the current superintendent has the tools to tear down the unbelievable incompetent leadership as district East.
Thank you boyle heights beat for trying to uncover the layers of corruption at lausd.
Yes I agree that they should be removed and held accountable for their actions. Other schools in this area are also being affected by the unjust practices of the
administrators at Local District East. They protect people with political power and retaliate against people that support our community.