Following his expulsion, he enrolled in a Los Angeles school district so we thought we had passed along our headaches to our neighbors over the hill. Hurricane Diego could now blow freely amongst the mass of other gang-banger wannabees along with the real deals. This lasted a couple months until... he was arrested for gun possession and was placed in Juvenile Hall.
After learning this, you can imagine how thrilled we were that he had now petitioned our own School Board and had convinced them that he was now "a changed man" and wanted to get an education. Last week his petition was granted. Now before we start judging our School Board, I have earnestly seen kids spend time in the hall or boot camps and come back more mature and ready to learn. After all a former student, Ming, re-enrolled last year after a period of time in a boot camp in the Central Coast, and graduated last year. Upon his return he presented a teacher with $50 that he had stolen from her classroom the year before, apologized to everyone he had wronged and he was a model to us all!
Unfortunately, this was not the case with Diego! Now in 11th grade, he had only been enrolled a couple days when his true "colors" came shining through. Yesterday a staff member turned in his notebook with tagging on it... this time a harder gang from over the hill. Before my colleague could call him in to discuss it, I found myself writing the following Incident Report:
XXXXXXXXX HIGH SCHOOL
STATEMENT OF
Pam Castleman, Assistant Principal
Re: "Diego"
DOB – X/XX/92
On Friday, February 06, 2009 at approximately 11:40 p.m., I received a radio call from a campus supervisor who stated that he needed an administrator for assistance. I looked up and noticed the campus supervisor attempting to stop student "Diego." According to the Campus Supervisor he had noticed that "Diego" had a drawing of a marijuana leaf on his notebook with the words “High Life” he had asked "Diego" to just tear that part off. He stated that "Diego" refused, said “F--k You” and attempted to walk away from him while he was speaking to him.
I asked "Diego" for the notebook and removed the paper myself. When I flipped the page over I noticed gang graffiti “XXX-13” on the back of the paper. I then asked "Diego" to step aside with me and asked him if I needed to contact his probation officer. He then remarked to me, “Don’t threaten me” and walked off. Under his breath he began cussing. I heard him being belligerent and told him that I was not threatening I was promising him that I would contact his P.O and we continued to exchange words. Once again he told me, “Don’t threaten me.”
I then asked a campus supervisor to escort him to the office for his defiance. In the office I asked him about the tagging and he stated that it stood for “XXXXX.” I also showed him additional tagging on his notebook that had been presented to my colleague the previous day by another school employee. Since I had many conversations with him prior to his expulsion for tagging on his notebooks and defiance to school officials I suspended him for three days.
Later that afternoon another campus supervisor came in my office to report yesterday "Diego" asked if “Robo Cop” (referring to another campus supervisor) still worked here, then commented… “I am going to kill the f--ker.”
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam Castleman
STATEMENT OF
Pam Castleman, Assistant Principal
Re: "Diego"
DOB – X/XX/92
On Friday, February 06, 2009 at approximately 11:40 p.m., I received a radio call from a campus supervisor who stated that he needed an administrator for assistance. I looked up and noticed the campus supervisor attempting to stop student "Diego." According to the Campus Supervisor he had noticed that "Diego" had a drawing of a marijuana leaf on his notebook with the words “High Life” he had asked "Diego" to just tear that part off. He stated that "Diego" refused, said “F--k You” and attempted to walk away from him while he was speaking to him.
I asked "Diego" for the notebook and removed the paper myself. When I flipped the page over I noticed gang graffiti “XXX-13” on the back of the paper. I then asked "Diego" to step aside with me and asked him if I needed to contact his probation officer. He then remarked to me, “Don’t threaten me” and walked off. Under his breath he began cussing. I heard him being belligerent and told him that I was not threatening I was promising him that I would contact his P.O and we continued to exchange words. Once again he told me, “Don’t threaten me.”
I then asked a campus supervisor to escort him to the office for his defiance. In the office I asked him about the tagging and he stated that it stood for “XXXXX.” I also showed him additional tagging on his notebook that had been presented to my colleague the previous day by another school employee. Since I had many conversations with him prior to his expulsion for tagging on his notebooks and defiance to school officials I suspended him for three days.
Later that afternoon another campus supervisor came in my office to report yesterday "Diego" asked if “Robo Cop” (referring to another campus supervisor) still worked here, then commented… “I am going to kill the f--ker.”
Respectfully Submitted,
Pam Castleman
I released him to his parents, who once left the school told him he could not return home. We watched him walk down the street (opposite his parents) in the rain. Understanding that any tagging would be a direct violation of his probation, I tried for 45 minutes, and eventually got through to his probation officer in LA who wanted the incident report and tagging faxed to their office.
After I finished the report, I sat there sick to my stomach thinking of what was down the road for the young man. Once I got him to the office, he cried as he plead for me not to suspend him. As much as I knew that this young man was drowning in a chaos of his own making, my heart still ached for him. After a brief silent prayer in my head, I knew that I had to sacrifice the one for the good of the whole. Diego had returned to us the same way he left, and if I enabled him once again there would be no telling how many he would take along with him for his wild ride. I had a narrow opportunity to remove a cancer from our campus and I had no choice but to take action.
My prayers are still with this young man, for I fear the paths in which he is choosing is leading him to a place in which he will not be able to return.
