Parents Sound Off Over School Conditions In Hacienda Heights, Say Some School Board Members Made Anti-Asian Statements
HACIENDA HEIGHTS (CBSLA) — Parents of students at Wedgeworth Elementary School in Hacienda Heights say the conditions of the campus are unacceptable and that some school board members have made anti-Asian statements.
Parents say the school, which consists of only portable trailers, is severely underfunded compared to other schools in the district.
They say the campus has only four restrooms for 600 students, there's no kitchen or cafeteria, and very little playground space.
The school provides dual-language instruction in both Mandarin and English.
Parents say some school board members have made anti-Asian statements in meetings and on social media.
"I'll show you a screenshot that there's someone thinking, 'Oh, because they're learning Mandarin they're exposed to the communist ideas from China,'" said one parent. "That is just absurd. I don't know if that's her ultimate reason to deny the project but I definitely feel that for an elected board member to make comments like that, this is definitely a racial bias."
In a statement, the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District said, "Our efforts to address the needs of Wedgeworth Elementary School families have driven an active community discussion. We welcome the input of all Hacienda La Puente students, families, and community members and look forward to building consensus moving forwards together."
