Principal Jeanette Stevens at John H. Liechty Middle School Fax (213) 484-2700

June 23, 2009

Principal Jeanette Stevens
John H. Liechty Middle School
650 South Union Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Principal Jeanette Stevens:

My wife and I are outraged by your wrongheaded punishment of students that showed both the courage and principle to protest a school board member whose actions are nothing short of reprehensible. Your punishment of these brave students is a tacit endorsement of LAUSD Board President Garcia's unconscionable budget slashing.

Ms. Garcia has done nothing to warrant these students' respect. Aside from enthusiastically voting for the crippling RIF notices to your hard working teachers, Ms. Garcia has guaranteed hyper-inflated class sizes for next year. Instead of weekly lunches with reactionary neo-liberal privatizers Steve Barr and Ben Austin, Ms. Garcia should be fulfilling her promises to the working class parents and students of District 2. LAUSD had a chance to do the right thing and stand with the community and UTLA in fighting these draconian budget cuts. Instead Ms. Garcia's betrayal of her constituents, and more importantly, of these students is nothing short of astonishing. Sadly LAUSD Board President Garcia has sold out the children of color and poverty in our community.

Principal Stevens, we really hope you change your position on punishing these brave students. If any apology is owed, it is that LAUSD owes an apology to these students.


Sincerely

RD Skeels and YJ Lee
Barrio Echo Parque residents for 14 years