Greater Orange News Service

Feds take a look as Canyon HS story goes international

Less than 24 hours after the story of the Canyon H.S. controversy over a three year event called 'Seniores' and 'Señoritas' where students wore costumes demeaning to Latinos broke, the Associated Press wireservice picked up the Canyon H.S. story and reports that "federal authorities are considering whether a civil rights probe is warrented".

The AP story will be published in papers nation-wide starting Friday August 24, 2012, one day after the L.A. Times broke the story. Meanwhile, the L.A.Times will be publishing a second story on Friday August 24th which reports that Canyon High student Jared Garcia-Kessler was intially told by a school administrator when he first complained to “get a sense of humor". The story does not identify the administrator.

The Canyon H.S. administration led by Principal Dr. Greg Bowden also had a controversy over student bullying in 2008 (see links below).

The AP story is being run in papers, on internet news sites and on television stations nation-wide as OUSD again finds itself in the center of a national controversy, this time during a election year with both national and local implications. On Friday August 14th the stroy began going international (see link below)

As the controversy grew, OUSD Superintedent Michael Christensen tried to shift the focus off the school administrators and onto the school's students despite a report from his own administration that focused on the school administrators. Among the corrective steps the report calls for include: diversity and sensitivity training for the school's administrators; a letter of apology from Principal Greg Bowden to the school staff and community; and a system in place to review all planned student activites.

TIMES STORY #1

TIMES STORY #2

STUDENT CALLED FAGGOT LEAVES CANYON HS

AP-Possible Feds investigation

London Daily Mail

Labels: Canyon High School; Dr. Greg Bowden, Jared Garcia-Kessler Orange Unified