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Discussion group: 23EditorialsTop   Discussion group: 23Editorials 23Editorials    Discussion Topic: Editorial23: El Tejon Superintendent Should Apologize Editorial23: El Tejon Superintendent Should Apologize

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Editorial23: El Tejon Superintendent Should Apologize
T O P I C Discussion Started: 02-24-2005, 7:20 PM Add to the Discussion
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Here in the El Tejon school district, it seems money is more important than protecting kids.

El Tejon Middle School was flooded Tuesday when a nearby creek overflowed. A flash flood ran right through the middle of the school.

A fire captain wanted the school closed because he thought it was too dangerous. But district superintendent John Wight refused to listen. He stubbornly kept this school open. In fact, Wight only closed the school after the California Highway Patrol told him to because rain could have caused a boulder nearby to fall on a road.

The superintendent told 23News he hoped the state would let him count the shortened school day.

From that we can draw only one conclusion -- you let your concern over state subsidies get in the way of your duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of your students and your teachers.

Channel 23 says Wight blew it, and there's only one way to make it right. Stand up in an assembly in front of the entire school -- admit your mistake and ask forgiveness.

First aired 2/24/05

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cldera 03-06-2005, 3:36 PM Add to the Discussion
In his response to a KERO editorial, El Tejon Unified School District Superintendent John Wight trivialized the weather related danger to students at El Tejon School. The two versions of fact, KERO's and Wight's, just don't come together. So who do we believe, KERO or Wight?

Even if Wight's statements were true, he would be guilty of incredibly bad judgement and negligence for not sending busloads of children to a safe area, such as Frazier Mountain High School, to wait for parents. The buses are radio equipped; there was no need to bring the kids into harms way.

The fact is that the roads were unsafe; warnings were easily available on the CHP website.

The fact is that there is no excuse for Wight to have been unaware of the dangers.

The fact is that there is no excuse for Wight failing to direct the buses to a safe area.

For that matter, there is no excuse for Wight not calling a snow day in the first place. After all, ETUSD called for two snow days this semester when there was no snow.

KERO called on John Wight to publicly apologize and ask forgiveness. Wight responded with evasiveness and duplicity. Perhaps it's time for the parents of the ETUSD to demand something more concrete.

Carlos L'Dera - cldera@yahoo.com - (661) 242-2533

Momma-mea 02-26-2005, 4:37 PM Add to the Discussion
I am a mother of children that attend this school. Not only was I appalled that school was not canceled altogether before parents attempted to bring their children to school, and other children were already on school busses from Pine Mtn. Club and Lockwood Valley. The report I also heard was there was no electricity at the school and from news cameras that were at the school, there was no way the children or teachers could have gotten to the classrooms. It looked like there was about a foot of water in the common area that leads to many of the classrooms. In addition, our "Snow Chain" volunteers (who call homes to notify parents of a 2 hr. delay or school cancellation) do not have any other phone number for the parents other than the home phone number. Therefore, children as young as 9 years old were being busses back to their bus stops and let off sometimes with out the parents being home and no ride from the bus stop to get home. Not all the bus stops up here are within walking distances of children?s homes. But I guess all of this is not important to our NEW Superintendent Mr. John White.

buzman1985 02-25-2005, 6:38 AM Add to the Discussion
I can't believe the Superintendent would let his students stay in harms way. I believe he should have respected the Kern County Fire Department's Captain that was on scene. The KCFD Captain should have exersised his power and closed the school. It is within his rights as a Company Officer to close a school if it is unsafe. I appluad 23's VP/ General Manager for holding local officials accountable, everyone in this County knows that Local Government (espically BPD, the "mayor", and D.A.) and other Officials need to have an obersevant eye on them at all times.

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