Community Protest at Sheridan Elementary School, 416 N. Cornwell, at the

intersection of Breed and Sheridan Streets, in East Los Angeles, for

Friday, March 30, 2001, beginning at 2:45 p.m.

and continuing to the offices of Bonnie Rubio, Superintendent of Local

District H, at 1115 S. Boyle, L.A., 90023. About 200 or more parents,

teachers and community people from East Los

Angeles have organized this protest to demand:

1. An end to the intimidation of parents by the principal, Nora

Gonzalez, who has only been at Sheridan for two months. She calls the

Los Angeles Unified School District police on a daily

basis to threaten the sidewalk vendors, who are mainly parents from the

same community served by Sheridan.

2. An explanation for the abuse by school police of a mother,

Margarita Martinez Hurtado, which occurred on March 21, 2001. This

mother was accused of selling candy with drugs in it by a

school employee and was arrested by order of the principal in front of

1500 students and parents. They left this mother with bruises on her

arms when they forcefully took her away from the

school in front of her daughter. She was freed after being detained in a

squad car for an hour, after the police failed to find any drugs or

candy in the backpacks of her daughter and her daughter's

friend, which she had been carrying when she entered the school grounds

that morning. This mother received written notification from Principal

Gonzalez that she is prohibited from entering her

daughter's school without a valid excuse.

3. During the panic of that morning, another student's arm was

injured by the Bilingual Coordinator, a fact which has been denied, even

though the parents have tried to file a formal complaint

of abuse with the police.

4. Two bilingual teachers and several teaching assistants have been

removed by the principal, mainly because of personal reasons which the

principal held against these employees. One of

those teachers, Susana Betancourt, had contacted Councilmember Nick

Pacheco and School Board Member Victoria M. Castro to help the local

parents understand their civil rights and the laws

of the City and the School District concerning vendors. This teacher

also informed several parents of their right to submit complaints about

Principal Gonzalez when she did not permit them to

put their children in bilingual programs, which has been reported to

MALDEF. This teacher, who is also a mother who has lived in the

community for 37 years, has been temporarily transferred

to Bonnie Rubio's offices without any disciplinary reason being given,

simply for instructing parents in the civil process of reporting the

abuse and discrimination which continues to occur at

Sheridan School.

We hope to see you and tell you about these injustices at this

important protest on March 30, 2001.

Mil gracias.

Parents of Sheridan School.