Anzar High School teacher Jaime Montoya, who wrote a letter
concerning student complaints over a blond pi
ñata, returned to work today after a three-day paid
administrative leave for distributing an unauthorized document to
students.
Anzar High School teacher Jaime Montoya, who wrote a letter concerning student complaints over a blond piñata, returned to work today after a three-day paid administrative leave for distributing an unauthorized document to students.
When asked if there would be any other action against Montoya, Superintendent Jackie Munoz said “As far as the district is concerned, we have taken action.”
Aromas-San Juan Unified School District education code 51520 states “Staff shall not distribute promotional, political, controversial or other non-instructional materials unless approved by the superintendent or designee.”
Montoya went against district policy when he handed out a document he authored titled “The Polemic Piñata.” The day before Montoya handed out the document, the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán Club (MEChA), held a Cinco de Mayo celebration at lunch. As the adviser, Montoya purchased a piñata for the festivities which was pink with yellow streamers, and students and staff said it looked like a blond girl. A group of students were bothered by the image of the piñata, and Montoya was frustrated with the way they interpreted it.
Montoya wasn’t able to be reached for comment Wednesday night, but in a previous interview he said “I feel really bad that people are taking this the wrong way. When I was purchasing the piñata, I honestly had no idea it was going to cause such a reaction.”
The following day at lunch, he released the document to more than 20 students at lunch time. Included were a series of questions like “Do you think people who are white and/or blond are smarter or more special than other individuals?” and “Don’t you think that maybe you were disturbed by the American stereotype of the dumb blonde and something inside yourselves is really bothering you?”
The letter shocked students and parents even more than the piñata, and Principal Charlene McKowen received numerous phone calls from concerned parents.
Since Monday, the phone calls have stopped, and Munoz said the next step is education.
“We’re going to try to integrate multiculturalism into our curriculum and make sure there is information about different cultural traditions and how they fit into American society,” she said.
Christine Tognetti can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 330 or at [email protected].
