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LOS ANGELES TIMES October 3, 1968 Arrest of 35 End 2nd Sit-in at School Board Backers of Sal Castro Had Decided to Renew 7-Day Demonstration
By Jack McCurdy Times Education Writer
Seven days of sit-ins at the Board of Education ended Wednesday night when 35 Mexican-Americans were arrested and removed by police from the board's chambers.
The group of demonstrators had voted to launch a second sit-in Wednesday evening after the school board failed to restore teacher Sal Castro to the classroom at Lincoln High School.
Policemen and school security officers arrested nine women and 26 men, including about 15 youths and two priests, on charges of failure to leave a public building at closing time, a misdemeanor.
Those arrested did not included the Rev. Vehac Mardirosian, organizer of the sit-in, who told the demonstrators they had won a victory and urged them to leave as ordered.
But the Mexican-Americans decided to stay on and were arrested peacefully, singing songs, and shouting "Viva Castro" and Viva La Raza."
Thus, the policy until spelled out in legal language does not guarantee an appeals procedure for all teachers charged with felonies and may not include Castro.
Castro was reassigned as nonteaching curriculum consultant after he was indicted by County Grand Jury last May for allegedly helping plan the walkout of Mexican-American students at four East Side high schools last March.
Policy Consideration
The administrative staff was directed to work out legal wording of the policy for consideration at today's meeting.
Teachers arrested on moral or narcotics charges still would be removed from the classroom immediately under the new policy, but teachers accused of other crimes would continue to teach until a board of review composed of outsiders ruled on their cases.
The teachers' proposal, he pointed out, would have prevented the school district from immediately removing teachers charged with such offenses as statutory rape and grand theft.
With board member Hugh Willett opposing the plan, and only five members present, Gardner's opposition left the board with only three votes in favor of the plan and four need for passage.
The priest were Father John Luce, rector of the Episopal Parish of East Los Angeles, and Father Roger Wood, his assistant.
The group of militants had agreed Tuesday night to end the ait-in at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when the board met to discuss a change in policy which presumably would have restored Castro's teaching duties.
But when the board approved a general policy which does not guarantee the reinstatement of Castro, the Mexican-American students and parents voted to revive the sit-in.
Last Thursday, when the first sit-in began, the group vowed tostay in the board chambers until Castro was allowed to teach again or his suspension was resolved to their satisfaction.
After a four-hour special meeting Wednesday, the board refused to approve a detailed plan proposed by the teachers' Negotiating Council which would have authorized use of a board of appeal by teachers accused of certain felonies before being relieved of classroom duties.
Instead, the board by a 5-0 vote approved a policy calling for an appeals board for teachers but left the door open for exceptions on certain crimes.
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