OAK PARK : Students Walk Out in Support of Instructor

About 35 Oak Park High School students walked out of school Monday and marched more than a mile to an administrative office to protest the impending dismissal of a popular teacher.

The district’s school board earlier this month told English teacher and campus newspaper adviser Debbie Goldberg that she would not be rehired next year. The district gave no reason for the decision in a March 15 letter to Goldberg, and school officials refused to discuss the issue.

Goldberg, 32, also declined to talk about her dismissal. “I want my job back,” she said.

Goldberg taught this year as a “probationary teacher” after teaching the previous year as a long-term substitute, said Donald Baer, a representative of the California Teachers Assn.

Baer said that probationary teachers can be terminated without cause. “But there’s some question as to whether they can let her go without due process” such as an appeals process or administrative hearing, Baer said. “She is conferring with our attorney next week.”

Baer said he did not know why Goldberg received her pink slip.

“It wasn’t for financial reasons,” he said.

The decision to let Goldberg go was made by district trustees at the monthly board meeting March 7. But Oak Park Unified School District board member Jan Iceland said Goldberg’s dismissal “is not definite yet.”

Baer said district Supt. Marilyn Lippiatt monitored one of Goldberg’s classes last week to gather more information on her teaching abilities.

“She was giving her another look-see,” Baer said.

The students left their classes about 9 a.m. Monday after planning the protest last week. Goldberg said she did not know of the walkout in advance.

“On one level, I feel very good about the support,” she said. “But on the other hand, it’s nothing I recommended, and it isn’t conducive to teaching.”

School officials said they first heard talk of the walkout last week.

“We thought the whole senior class would walk,” said Jim Johnson, acting dean of student services. But only about 35 students left campus Monday morning. Most of them will receive four hours of Saturday school as punishment, Johnson said.

“They were all pretty cool about it,” Johnson said. “It was their attitude that they did what they had to do, and now they’re getting what they deserve.”

Most of the students who marched out of class were Goldberg’s students.

“We are just standing up for our rights,” said Erin Lokitz, a 17-year-old senior. “It’s not fair.”

The students demanded to speak with Lippiatt. Erin said students met with the superintendent for several minutes and returned to class about 10 a.m.

Lippiatt did not return phone calls seeking comment.