After months of protests conducted by students, teachers, and parents demanding the removal of their principal, John Edwards Estoesta, their pleas were finally heard.
The principal at East L.A. Performing Arts (ELAPA) Magnet at Esteban Torres High School has been placed on leave.
Estoesta, who was principal for less than a year at ELAPA, was accused of dismissing racist, homophobic, and transphobic remarks made by students, as well as making sexist remarks and inappropriate gestures towards female students.
Senior students, like Jade, who would prefer to go by her first name only, said all the problems at her school began when Estoesta became principal.
“For my first three years, we had a different principal and we never had problems like this,” said Jade over the phone. “When Estoesta joined, that's when everything started crumbling down and the school became a really unsafe environment for a lot of students.”