La Follette Attacks Burbank Schools Over Violence, Draws Rejoinder

Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette (R-Northridge) has accused the Burbank Board of Education of practicing a “policy of leniency toward violent or potentially violent students,” annoying board members who replied that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

La Follette, in a letter received by the board Monday, referred to the board’s decision last month not to expel a John Burroughs High School student accused of hitting a teacher and threatening to kill him and another instructor.

“I’m appalled,” board member Audrey Hanson said. “I feel very indignant that a person in her position could presume to make such a statement when she has no idea of the details of this particular incident. This is setting the most irresponsible example. It just adds to this whole lynch mob mentality.”

Board President Vivian Kaufman said she was upset because La Follette, whose district includes a portion of Burbank, had not contacted board members about the incident.

“She doesn’t have all the facts,” Kaufman said. “It seems to me to be highly out of order.”

La Follette, however, defended the letter, which she said was prompted by teachers at John Burroughs High School who requested her help.

“From what I know, I would say that they must have a rather lenient policy when it comes to curbing violent students,” La Follette said of the five-member board. “Maybe they can justify not expelling a student who hit a teacher and threatened to kill him. But I think it would be very difficult to justify.”

The 16-year-old student is accused of hitting Burroughs High School teacher George Rosales on Sept. 27 as he and another teacher, David Hermans, were breaking up a hallway fistfight between two other students. The boy then threatened to kill the two teachers, police said.

Despite a strong recommendation from administrators at Burroughs to expel the student, the board decided not to take any action following a five-hour closed session on the matter.

In response, teachers at the high school staged a one-day wildcat strike to draw attention to increased violence at Burbank schools.

Although the board has declined to comment on the incident, saying it is a confidential matter, it has agreed to teacher demands to hire an additional security aide for each of Burbank’s two high schools. Emergency telephones are also being installed at the two schools to help speed communication between classrooms and administrative offices.

The district attorney’s office, meanwhile, has filed a felony charge of threatening a public official and two misdemeanor counts of battery against the Burroughs High student. A trial has been scheduled for Dec. 7 in Pasadena Juvenile Court.