Students Walk Out in Protest Against School's Handling of Abuse

Students’ voices refuse to be silenced, despite attempts to sweep cases of grooming and sexual abuse under a long established rug. For years, Rosemead High School has been marred by a failure to protect and defend students from the predators they employed. Instead of immediately removing said predators from RHS's campus, many were able to stay, with some managing to go on with their careers unscathed. For the second time in three years, the students of Rosemead High School walked out in protest.

On Wednesday, around 100 students gathered near the front of the school, holding signs and tying balloons to fences in solidarity with the victims of abuse. The protest began with a call to action to discuss what happened, and to honor those who had suffered. The protest also included speeches from students. Those gathered then walked around the perimeter of campus, demanding justice and future protection. Student protestors emphasized the need for systemic change and accountability here on Rosemead High School's campus.

Because of the importance of this event, informal interviews were conducted with participants and organizers, hoping to bring clarity to the wants and demands of the student body. In an interview with the Ceanothus Council Against Grooming (CCAG), the group of students who lead the day's event, they very openly discussed these topics with us. The name "Ceanothus" refers to a fire-resilient lilac that is turquoise, the color representing child abuse awareness. The council aims to instill a similar resilience in our campus community that has, for decades, experienced abuse at the hands of predators masking themselves as teachers. CCAG believes that the culture of silence and fear must end.

When asked how exactly they felt about the Business Insider articles that have been published over the last few years, they all expressed similar sentiments. Senior Felipe Salazar (he/him) expressed his disgust and disappointment, stating, “When I read the first article, I was mostly shocked by the extent of the egregiousness of the predatory teachers [at RHS]. Now, I feel, especially with this team [intact], I feel more invigorated and determined to do something about it… to have creative solutions and speak out about it.” The team refers to the rest of the Ceanothus Council, which is made up of Chelsea Ma (they/them/she/her), Aaron Aguilar (any) and Rachel Le (she/her) who also expressed their thoughts. Aguilar simply stated, “I felt genuinely disgusted that [this happened at] school, a place where you’re supposed to feel welcome and you’re supposed to be safe.” Le and Ma concurred with them, with Le adding that the articles made her sick, a sentiment that is almost certainly held by most of the student body. 

The question of how the council formed also came up. Ma, being one of the original members of the Ceanothus council, explained, “It all started when I felt like a protest wouldn’t be enough. I knew it would defame the school a little bit, but I felt like our school wasn't doing enough, so [it] felt imperative to start a student life council. The County’s best resolution, these t-shirts we have on, and even the health class curriculum, I would owe that to us students, because the school district itself was not proactive in enacting any measures to protect students.” The health class curriculum Ma is referring to center's on grooming; the Ceanothus Council has been pushing to give students a resource to understand what grooming can look like. While the district provides similar resources to teachers and faculty in the form of training videos to explain what is considered inappropriate when interacting with students, they have currently not done the same for students, who are arguably more in need of such resources in order to protect themselves. 

As for why this protest was organized in the first place, Rachel Le explains that it was to “garner support and public awareness of [the second] article,” expressing that the student body had not forgotten about it or the grooming that had happened. Salazar added that this was also a show of support for the victims, who plan to sue our school district. “Their names are anonymous right now, but these three plaintiffs need the support of students here at RHS,” he explained. The Ceanothus Council explained that their main goal was to assist the plaintiffs victory in court, but that in the interim they simply want everyone to know what was happening and to show solidarity with the victims. As Chelsea Ma added, “We want to show our solidarity, show they’re not alone, that we support them, and [that] it wasn’t their fault.”

When asked who exactly should be and who should’ve been held responsible for the safety of the students and the especially the victims of abuse, Salazar, expressed that past administrators should’ve been held responsible for not responding quickly enough to past abuse and grooming. He explains that while the El Monte Union High School District (EMUHSD) claims through their guiding principles to want an environment conducive to education, they have failed through their consistent dismissal and willful ignorance of predatory acts at EMUHSD; they have shown they are not in fact responsible. In fact, actually, "they are incompetent regarding student safety," he asserted, “That’s why today we hope to [spark] a series of events where we can take back our education and our safety." Le added to Salazar's devastating statement by adding, “They’re here to protect the value and interests of the District. They don’t care about us students, [which is why] we had this [walkout] as a call to action. Otherwise, I don’t think they really would’ve heard us out.”

One thing to note about this protest was that it received less reception than the last protest, which lasted from lunch time to the final bell, while this one lasted from lunch to the beginning of sixth period. While this was, in part, due to the heat, Rachel Le added her belief that it was also due to the fact that this has essentially become old news to Rosemead High School students and most staff. “The outcome of this protest just demonstrates how our school is just tired…. I just know, from my classmates, my friends, whenever I tell them there’s a new article out, they’re just like ‘oh, another one?’ It’s just a sense of indifference as to the repeated and continuous [enabling] of abuse on our campus.”

Despite the challenges and the sense of indifference, the Ceanothus Council maintains a positive outlook on what the future may hold. They believe that this renewed effort and attention can serve as a catalyst for the change they are advocating for. 

Students Stand

Katie Banh | Gr. 12

Students take a stand

Band together and fight for stolen rights

‘Cause admin didn’t lend a hand

In fact they protect the man

Who hurt us.

Choose flight and cover-ups

Rather than listen to the tight community of brilliant youth.

Complicit with their silence

To their friends’ sexual violence.

But we’ll keep tryin’

To do what’s right.

Because we want justice

The feeling of safety,

A place to truly learn,

‘Cause isn’t that what school is?

One day we will earn that back

Get this system back on track

With what it was always meant to do.

And it will be because of us

Because nothing was done by you.

Outgoing senior Katie Banh's powerful poem encapsulates the spirit of the students’ protest, highlighting their unity and determination to reclaim their rights and ensure a safer environment. This collective resilience and unwavering commitment to justice are the driving forces behind the movement. As the Ceanothus Council and the students of Rosemead High School continue their fight, they pave the way for meaningful change, reminding us all that progress often starts with the courage to stand up and speak out. Don’t be afraid to join them; the Ceanothus council is recruiting members to pass the torch to as they graduate. Contact them at @ceanothuscouncil on Instagram. 

The fight for student safety will not end.