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Administrators from Pacific Palisades Charter High School were on pins and needles earlier this week as the LA Unified school board considered its renewal application. But the board’s approval on Nov. 18 was hardly the end of the story.
At a meeting at the beachside high school last night, about 15 neighborhood residents showed up to complain about the noise issue, which has lead lawyers to consider legal action against the school.
Tensions between school leaders, students and local residents have ramped up as neighbors say football games, band practice and PA announcements issued over loud speakers are ruining their quality of life.
“We have been plagued day and night by amplification,” the residents’ lawyer, Roger Diamond, told LA School Report. “They just keep barking, announcing, and yelling, ‘Whose house is it? It’s our house! Whose house is it? It’s our house!’”
Diamond lives in the area and contends that his granddaughter has been suffering from migraine headaches resulting from the noise.
“Everything changed when they built the aquatics center and replaced the football field grass with artificial turf,” he said. His theory is that the school, free from the concerns of maintaining and restoring living grass, has begun to use the field like an ATM machine, leasing it to a variety of organizations for non-school purposes.
“They are acting like a landlord collecting rent to increase revenue,” he said angrily.
The charter school’s board did not take any action on the matter yesterday. The members have scheduled a meeting for further discussion on Dec. 4.