Students and parents in Boyle Heights Tuesday demanded answers from the Los Angeles Unified District after their beloved principal was suddenly replaced.
A group of people from Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School rallied at the school, holding signs that read “Free Jefe” and cardboard cutouts of Mauro Bautista.
“He has been a really good role model for us. He’s done a lot for the school,” Pedro Sainz, a high school junior, said about Bautista.
The student also said as the graduation date for the class of 2024 approached, the principal was absent for a couple of days before coming back for a little while.
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No one questioned it until the principal never returned again, and he was replaced by an interim staff member.
“We, as parents, are asking the same as the students,” said Lluvia Sains, Pedro’s mother, who explained school officials have not told anyone, including parents and guardians, about what happened. “Usually, the district – when they have an issue with one of the principals – they just remove the principal and place it in another school.”
What’s concerning to the parent is that if Bautista did something that justified removal, parents should have been at least alerted.
The LAUSD did not respond to NBC Los Angeles’ request for comment.
