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In a move that the California Center for Parent Empowerment (CCPE) is calling a first, a majority of teachers and staff at an LA Unified elementary school are publicly supporting a group of parents in a “parent trigger” campaign against the school’s principal.
Over 30 teachers and staff at Fishburn Avenue Elementary School signed a letter recently calling for the removal of the school’s principal, Beatriz Bogan. The letter states that Bogan “has alienated parents and community members through hostile behavior, lack of communication, and illegal practices.”
Efforts to reach Bogan were unsuccessful. No one answered the phone at the school.
A group of Fishburn parents and their supporters plan to hold a press conference outside the school on Thursday to announce the outcome of their petition. It has apparently had the intended effect: LA Unified has already posted that there’s an opening to serve as Fisburn’s principal, but it’s unclear what impact the parent-teacher group had on creating the opening.
Under the Parent Empowerment Act, commonly known as the “parent trigger,” if more than 50 percent of parents at a low-performing school sign a petition, the parents can then enact change, including removing its leadership or converting it to a charter.
In a press release, the CCPE, which helps support parent groups utilizing the Parent Empowerment Act, said the campaign “marks the first time school teachers stood united with parents in using the law to transform the school. A majority of teachers have publicly stated such… and worked collaboratively with parents. Although teachers have generally been uneasy with the use of the law and have not supported past efforts, Fishburn teachers supported the parent demands for a Transformation Model, agreeing that the principal needs to be replaced for the school to transform.”
The group of parents has met with Superintendent Ramon Cortines to present the petition and say the press conference will give an update on on district actions taken to meet their demands.
* Adds reference to job posting by the district for the principal job.