Letter to the editor: It’s time for a change at Paso Robles School District
To the editor,
Now the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is under federal investigation after allegations of discrimination were brought to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. It seems the district has for years failed to provide adequate Spanish-language communications to allow more than a third of the district’s families to participate in the governance of their schools. Now faced with the imminent closure of one of the community’s most cherished institutions, Georgia Brown Elementary School, these families are speaking out.
This announcement follows the revelation of gross mismanagement of district finances and the recent hate-filled and just plain ignorant behavior of some students at Paso Robles High School, a school that is clearly out of control. Meanwhile, some school board members stoke outrage over the latest right-wing bogeyman, Critical Race Theory, trying to divide us by turning diverse elements of the community against each other.
Why aren’t PRJUSD leaders tending to the real problems of the district rather than banning flags or hopping around the state encouraging other school boards to teach a biased and inaccurate account of American history? Why aren’t they focused on fixing the stench oozing out of Paso High on an almost daily basis, or the blatant prejudice directed at Spanish-speaking families in the district?
There’s an old saying among fishermen that the fish rots from the head. In this case, it may be time for some new leadership at the PRJUSD.
Barry A. Price
San Luis Obispo
Editor’s note: Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are the personal opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.
