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Parents tell Garden Grove school board they fear for kindergarteners at Monroe Language Academy
Summary
Multiple parents and community members told the Garden Grove Unified School District board that a Monroe Language Academy kindergarten classroom has experienced months of disruptive and unsafe behavior — including assaults, evacuations and alleged exposure — and said they have not received adequate notifications or remediation from the school.
Parents and community members urged the Garden Grove Unified School District board to act after describing months of what they said were ongoing, serious safety incidents in a kindergarten classroom at Monroe Language Academy.
Grace Carmona told trustees that for seven months her daughter’s class has been subjected to “uncontrollable aggressive behaviors” from a single student, including physical assaults, threats of violence and repeated evacuations. Carmona said parents were not informed about the incidents and that school staff have cited privacy laws when asked for details. “What if he kills someone, mom?” she quoted her child as asking, saying her daughter is now scared to attend school.
Several other speakers backed the parents’ accounts. A community member who identified herself as a church school teacher urged the district to reassess responses and prioritize children’s emotional and physical safety. Marlene Seguda said the kindergarten class has endured six and a half months of disruption — throwing objects, spitting, destruction of classwork and, she alleged, inappropriate touching — and said communication from the school has been inconsistent. Seguda referenced a recent off-campus incident in which a child was struck in the head with a metal object as evidence that seemingly small incidents can escalate quickly.
Joe Michael Martinez asked the board for a status update on an incident he said had occurred months earlier when his daughter was hit in the head with a bottle; he said his written inquiries had not received a reply. At least one parent asked for health-office logs that district staff said they would provide but had not yet received.
The board’s presiding officer acknowledged the comments, told speakers staff were aware of some of the concerns, and said district staff would follow up with the families after the meeting. No formal board action or vote regarding Monroe was recorded at the session.
The parents’ speakers requested clearer notification procedures when incidents affect classroom safety, a concrete plan to protect students in the short term, and accountability measures for how the district responds to repeated disruptive behavior. Board members did not announce a timeline for follow-up at the meeting; staff said they would contact the commenters to continue the discussion.
