Parents and staff at El Camino Junior High School in Santa Maria are speaking out about a concerning rise in violence on their school's campus.
“I, as a parent, do not feel safe leaving my child every day at this school,” one parent said Wednesday evening at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board meeting.
“On a daily basis, my students, coworkers and I are subject to egregious disrespect from children we are tasked with teaching,” added Deanna Jones, a seventh grade teacher at El Camino.
Jones said that in her many years of teaching, in recent months, the level of disrespect and violence among students has been the worst she has ever seen.
“I have been called the 'b-word' multiple times to my face, something that has never happened before,” Jones recalled.
Wednesday night, Jones, along with several other El Camino students, teachers and their family members, filled the Santa Maria-Bonita School District boardroom to voice their concerns.
“Having to receive that phone call from my sister that she was physically assaulted and punched in the face by another student not only saddened me but angered me as well,” said Monique Sandoval, holding back tears.
Sandoval says both her mother and sister teach at El Camino and every day she worries for their safety on campus.
During the meeting, Sandoval said she used to work as a school resource officer when El Camino still had one present on campus; but since then, she feels there have been no real consequences for students’ misbehavior.
“Students believe they are unstoppable and invincible due to the lack of consequences for their actions,” she said. “Why would they change their behavior if they know administration won't do anything about it?”
In a statement, El Camino Principal Kester Bantin acknowledged the increase in violence at his school, affirming that safety is the first priority and that their education partners are taking decisive action to address the situation.
El Camino students, meanwhile, pleaded for action during Wednesday’s board meeting, so they can once again enjoy going to school.
“I would like to have fun memories from my experience in middle school. However, when I look back, I have little to no memories because of all the chaos around me,” said one concerned student.
Principal Bantin adds that new safety measures are being introduced at El Camino, including having daily briefings between administration and teachers, hiring another security guard, and holding parent meetings with students who have multiple offenses.
