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SENIOR PRANK: Post by a female student from La Serna HS. Los Cerritos Community News redacted that name of the student; she played volleyball and soccer at the school.
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May 29, 2023 • 4:20 pm
By Brian Hews • [email protected]
Los Cerritos Community News has confirmed that over forty-five La Serna High School students, most of them graduating seniors, took the idea of a senior prank far past the extreme, vandalizing the campus and spray-painting classroom walls; La Serna is part of the Whittier Union High School District.
A high-level source at WUHSD has told LCCN that several high-profile students were among the vandals, children of “influential people in the community,” and that Superintendent Monica Oviedo is attempting to influence disciplinary decisions for certain students. The “leaders” of the vandals posted an invite on social media that led to the student’s participation, which allegedly included the ASB President, other student government leaders, and some football team members.
The source also told LCCN that Oviedo was successful in postponing a WHUSD special board meeting to address the vandalism.
Emails from parents describe a harrowing tale of vandalism, [the students] “tagged the walls inside classrooms and outside, damaged school property, slashed the tires of school vehicles, and shattered car windows.”
They also described a targeted campaign by the students aimed at certain teachers, where the students “defecated and urinated in certain teacher’s classrooms, stole computers, destroyed property and spray painted sexually explicit images on the walls.”
The students allegedly entered the campus using keys that the son of an employee of La Serna stole from his parents.
Parents allege that certain students are “being protected based on economic, political, and academic status. Some students have been suspended while others remain undisciplined due to their family’s status, political connections to the Whittier City Council, or the fact that the student’s parents work for the District.”
They also allege that some students are allowed to fully participate in next week’s graduation ceremony while others are getting excluded.
Of interest is that nothing was posted on social media by Whittier Police Department.
In a statement today, WHUHSD denied much of the reports from parents, “The District immediately contacted the Whittier Police Department for their assistance in investigating the incident and is working in partnership with them to ensure appropriate disciplinary measures are taken for the individuals found responsible.”
“No classrooms were accessed by students, and teachers were not targeted. Moreover, there were no incidents involving defecation or urination on the campus, and no instances of landscape damage or stolen property. During the incident, air was deliberately let out of the tires of a District vehicle and the windows were shattered. The District and WPD are actively working to address this matter and ensure appropriate actions are taken.”
Videos sent in by a parents below seem to contradict WHUHSD’s statement.
