On this date in 1994, Moorhead High minority students staged a walkout to protest the dismissal of bilingual counselor Richard Lara, demanding his reinstatement after the district cited misconduct and policy violations.
Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:
By Dave Olson
The Forum
Minority students upset over the firing of a Moorhead High School counselor left their classes Tuesday morning in a show of protest, though many had returned to class by Tuesday afternoon.
About 70 students, most of them Hispanic, gathered on the south side of the school about 9:30 a.m. The students said they were “on strike” over the Monday night firing of Richard Lara, who was hired by the district last winter as a bilingual student assistance counselor.
Principal Doug Price met briefly with the students shortly after 10 a.m. and asked them to come into the school auditorium.
“We’re not talking until the superintendent gets here,” one student yelled.
Superintendent Bruce Anderson arrived at about 10:30 a.m. and said he was prepared to answer questions from the students. Most sat in auditorium seats while a group of six sat at the stage behind Anderson and Price.
Anderson said he was legally restricted in what he could say about the decision not to renew Lara’s contract. He did say that the contract expires Friday.
Anderson made reference, however, to the reasons given at Monday’s school board meeting for Lara’s termination included complaints from students and parents that Lara failed to protect student privacy rights and that he touched students in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. Other reasons listed included failure to keep appointments with students and parents, and misrepresentation of the scope of his authority.
Anderson said the district received written allegations and was compelled by law to conduct an investigation. “It’s not just something we can shirk off and ignore,” he said. To avoid any appearance of bias, district officials did not conduct the investigation themselves, but hired an independent attorney to do so.
After interviews with a number of people, some of whom spoke against Lara and others on his behalf, the investigator found sufficient grounds to support the allegations, which led to the counselor’s firing, Anderson said.
Still, some students demanded to know who and how many students made allegations. Others asked why they had not been contacted to give their input. Some went as far as to suggest that the investigation only sought negative comments and purposely avoided students who would support Lara.
That contention was disputed by Bethany Cotton, one student who told classmates that she had been contacted and interviewed by an attorney regarding Lara.
As Anderson and Price made attempts to answer questions and explain the district’s position, they were continually interrupted by angry shouts.
The exchange at times became tense, with one student calling Anderson a “hypocrite” and another calling Price a “liar.”
“We need Mr. Lara back! … We’re not going to school until we get Mr. Lara back!” others yelled.
When the outbursts became too much, one of the parents who was there in support of Lara spoke up.
“Hey!” Tish Paquin said, “the best thing you guys can do is show them that you do have manners, and you do know how to behave, and you do know how to talk like human beings.”
Her admonition was met with applause.
A short time later, when officials told the protestors they could go back to class or leave the building, the students marched out of the auditorium, some vowing to stay out of school until Lara was rehired. “Don’t you understand what we’re saying,” student Joel Garza said. “We’re not going back to school until we get Lara back.”
Parents followed the students outside and attempted to persuade them to return to class, which many of the students had done by the afternoon.
During the exchanges Tuesday morning, many students said they felt Lara was the only counselor who cared about and understood them. Anderson answered that others in the school district, including Principal Price, cared. “I think if we kind of work together to make this a better place, we can do it. It’s hard when you have a situation like this, let’s face it.”
Anderson said later Tuesday afternoon that students should be lauded for standing up and asking questions. “I think when people are angry you have to be mature and try to understand.”
Several law enforcement officers were on hand at the morning discussion and police kept a high profile around the school Tuesday afternoon.
Anderson stressed that there was no disruption of classes for most of the students at the high school.
“We’re here to help kids. Our overall goal is to have safe, secure facilities for all of our kids,” Anderson said.
Paquin said she was shocked when she learned of Lara’s firing on the news Monday night.
“I feel I have the right to know what’s going on here,” she said while waiting for Anderson to arrive Tuesday morning. “I trust Mr. Lara completely. Our kids look up to him. He’s the only Hispanic counselor in our area.”
The position is funded through a state grant, which last year provided for a $35,000 salary.
Anderson, who said Monday night that a replacement for Lara would be sought, declined to speculate on how long the student ire may last.
“We’re just going to go a day at a time, like we do every day,” he said.
