AHS Seeks to Move Past Assistant Principal Controversy
OLIVIA CHEUNG
CAROLINE REN
Editors in Chief
On Jan. 17, upon receiving a Youtube link concerning former Assistant Principal of Student Services Andrea Cardosa, AHS administration contacted the Alhambra Police Department (APD) to begin an ongoing investigation after which Cardosa resigned from her position.
The Youtube video, posted by Jamie Carrillo, accuses Cardosa of manipulating her into having sexual relations together when Carrillo was attending Chewama Middle School in Riverside. As stated in an interview with her attorney, David Ring, Carrillo is considering a lawsuit against school districts that hired Cardosa, according to the LA Times.
“It took a lot for me to come forward, but I kept thinking about my own kids and how I wouldn’t want anything happening to them,” Carrillo said, according to ABC 7.
Ring stated that in 1999, an investigation was held concerning Cardosa and rumors circulating about alleged abuse. The investigation, however, did not lead to arrests, charges or disciplinary action, according to the LA Times.
As reported by the Pasadena Star News, Cardosa went through a fingerprint and background check with both the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI before working for AUSD.
“It’s not the district’s fault for not knowing her prior history. We’re still a great school and we can’t have the negative impact from this situation affect our school when it didn’t even happen here,” ASB staff assistant Dilene Soto said.
Many question whether a more thorough background check would have been effective.
“The school needs to do a better job of vetting,” English teacher Nancy Padilla said. “Even though the event was not on public record, there’s always a way to find out. Colleges and employers look up candidates on the Internet, and even though it isn’t totally reliable, it helps so that school officials aren’t caught off guard later on.”
However, others maintain that further investigation simply was not a viable option.
“I don’t think there was much that could have been done, since [Cardosa] was never reported,” senior Anthony Zhu said. “Any other school would have had the same problem we did. There’s an inherent flaw in hiring policies in general.”
The district took action 10 minutes after viewing the video, according to Superintendent Laura Tellez-Gagliano in the Pasadena Star News.
“Our first priority in the district is student safety,” Tellez-Gagliano said. “We got the authorities involved and we will continue to act with anything that is reported to us.”
According to a memo from Principal Duane Russell, no students have accused Cardosa of similar advances. The APD has passed the investigation to the Riverside County and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Departments.
“It’s also nice to know that the minute [the school and district] heard, they acted upon it. They handled it very well and quickly. They’re trying to contain any rumors the rumor mill has,” English teacher Debbie Kuperberg said.
Students echo similar sentiments.
“I do still feel secure at school because this is just an isolated incident. Most of the administration is pretty good,” senior Nhi Bui said.
Ultimately, faculty strives to move forward from the issue.
“I want students to know they’re safe; there are people here on campus they can trust. If there’s any questionable behavior, go to someone and share your concern,” Padilla said.