Parents press Lawndale board to pause superintendent contract, seek independent probe after principal's resignation

At the June 25 Lawndale Elementary School District board meeting, several parents urged trustees to pause any contract renewal for Superintendent Lydia Castro and to authorize an independent investigation into recent personnel decisions and alleged safety and special-education failures.

"We ask that you pause the superintendent's contract renewal and authorize an independent investigation," Alma Romero told the board during public comment, summarizing a written statement from many parents and parent leaders and calling for "facts, accountability, and corrective action." Romero said parents had raised an array of concerns including the removal of a principal job posting, alleged abusive conduct by a second-grade teacher, reported safety incidents at FDR, inconsistencies implementing IEP accommodations, and what parents described as the superintendent's recruitment of board candidates.

Another commenter, who identified herself as a parent leader, described an interaction in which she said district staff referenced her child's interdistrict permit and said that staff "told me everything," a comment she said felt threatening. That speaker and others said multiple attempts at school-level meetings had not produced transparent answers.

Several speakers asked the board for more information about the principal who left the district and urged either reinstatement or a fuller explanation. A fifth'grade student, Zeke, described the departing principal as "always nice and friendly," and other teachers and parents praised his impact on school culture.

On reconvening from closed session, Board President Kathy Burris reported that the board approved a settlement agreement with the principal: the district accepted the employee's resignation and "will pay the employee a specific sum of money in exchange for a waiver of claims." President Burris said the board recorded a 5-0 vote to approve the agreement; the amount paid was not disclosed in open session.

Trustees also moved through routine agenda business: they approved minutes and multiple consent bundles by recorded motions (the transcript records motions carrying by voice or device-based votes, many recorded as unanimous). No board vote on a superintendent contract renewal was recorded at the meeting; several speakers explicitly requested that the board postpone any renewal until an independent review was complete.

The board did not provide substantive responses to the public'comment requests during the meeting; trustees expressed appreciation for parent input and acknowledged the concerns would be considered in follow-up.