#AnotherDayAnotherCharterScandal

Charter School Parents Kept In The Dark

The arrest of former Granada Hills Charter School coach exposes how parents are often not made aware of potential dangers to their children.

“You take no interest, no opinion’s too dear

You make the rounds and you try to be so sincere

You guard your hopes and you pocket your dreams

You’d trade it all to avoid an unpleasant scene”

– Billy Squier

Reacting to a post on the Facebook page Parents Supporting Teachers about the arrest of a former Granada Hills Charter School coach for “multiple counts of lewd acts with a minor,” a person describing themselves as a parent at the school says that “The school did not send any info to the parents about this!” This lack of disclosure was no surprise to another commentator who stated: “That’s Granada for you. They hide a lot from parents and the community in the name of optics and PR.”

Gabriel Chavez was arrested last week for what the Los Angeles Police Department calls “Penetration of a Foreign Object of a Minor.” Detectives are searching for other possible victims as Chavez not only coached at Granada but also “had a history of employment and volunteer work at various youth programs throughout the city.”

While Chavez’s employment ended in January, it has not been “specified if he was fired or quit.” As the authorizer of the charter school, the LAUSD needs to begin an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the separation and find out if the school appropriately notified authorities of any suspected illegal or inappropriate activities in a timely manner that would reduce risks to other victims. It also needs to be determined if parents of children who were exposed to Chavez were kept appraised of the situation to the fullest extent allowed by law.