One month after the closure of Thousand Oaks’ La Reina Catholic school was announced, a group of parents, students and donors has filed a lawsuit against the school’s sponsors, the Sisters of Notre Dame. Filed Feb. 26 in Ventura County Superior Court, the lawsuit claims that the religious institution that sponsors the T.O. high school and middle school committed fraudulent […]
Schools
WHS announces, cancels Black History Month dress-up days
Outfits, inspired by Black culture, deemed inappropriateA Black History Month activity at Westlake High School originally planned for this week that encouraged students to show up to campus in clothing inspired by Black culture was cancelled after administrators decided the event could be construed as harmful. “The cancellation was due to the concern that dress up activities for celebration months . . . might lead to […]
Financial oversight issues place Las Virgenes school audit under microscope
Finances get ‘clean opinion’ overall, but some discrepancies are uncoveredAn independent audit of the Las Virgenes Unified School District’s 2022-23 financial statements found four accounting deficiencies in the sampled transactions— two of which are repeat findings from the prior year—as part of a report which gave “a clean opinion” overall, according to a partner at accounting firm Eide Bailley. Three of the findings regarding transactions the district’s $150-million annual […]
La Reina parents, supporters eye law suit
Already dealing with the ire of students, parents, alumnae and their supporters, the sponsoring organization of La Reina High and Middle School may face a law suit. A group fighting the recently announced closure of the school said this week they plan to file a class action lawsuit against the Sisters of Notre Dame National Ministry Corporation on behalf of […]
Kindess? Yeah, we could all use a little bit of that
Yeah, we could all use a little bit of thatDr. Kate Vadehra believed in the “power of kindness and in the “goodness and joy that kindness brings.” The late school board member wrote those words about her fellow education leaders in a communication to the community prior to her death on Nov. 26, 2022. In her memory, the Las Virgenes Unified School District not only hosted the Great LVUSD […]
Take it away, young maestro
Jack Lieberman is a noteworthy senior at Agoura High School whose skills in playing the saxophone have rewarded him the title of 2024 YoungArts Winner With Distinction, the organization’s highest honor. YoungArts—the national foundation for the advancement of artists—was established in 1981 by philanthropist Lin Arison and her husband, the late Ted Arison, an Israeli businessman who co-founded Carnival Cruise […]
Monster mash
Growing up in the Deep South wasn’t easy for a Vietnamese kid like Qui Nguyen. He got bullied a lot for being different, for not speaking English well—and for swearing like a sailor around his teachers. He simply didn’t know any better . . . until a kid named Chuck Biggs told him in elementary school to nix the constant […]