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LOS ANGELES () — Parents, students and community members gathered at a school board meeting Saturday to call for the reinstatement of a teacher at Synergy Quantum Academy in South Los Angeles who was recently terminated.
Chants of “bring back Mr. Lopez” filled the room as organizers argued that Ricardo Lopez was fired after opening a locked campus gate last month, allowing students to leave during a walkout protesting ICE raids.
“To protect his students, he did what any responsible adult would do when he’s seeing kids that are about to get hurt,” said Ron Gochez, an LAUSD teacher who attended Saturday’s meeting. “He protected them by opening the gate. The principals chose not to do the correct thing, but he did. So instead of supporting a teacher who supports and protects his students, they terminated him.”
The school disputes that account.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, Synergy Quantum Academy said “To date, the school has received no reports of student injuries related to student protests.”
Read the full statement below:
“In early February, groups of students at Synergy Quantum Academy participated in student-led protests on campus. School administrators were present throughout to supervise students and prioritize safety. To date, the school has received no reports of student injuries related to student protests.
We respect students’ rights to express themselves and understand that moments like these often reflect deeply held concerns. Our responsibility as a school is to ensure that student expression happens in a way that protects students’ safety and complies with established campus protocols.
Families were notified, all students were accounted for, and counselors and support staff are available to students who wish to talk or need additional support.
Synergy Quantum Academy is a public charter school co-located on a Los Angeles Unified School District campus. Synergy works collaboratively with our District partners to follow the campus access and safety procedures set by LAUSD policy to ensure the safety of students from both schools. Decisions about whether students may leave campus during the school day are made solely by school administration, according to campus safety protocols.
We appreciate the partnership of our families and community as we continue to support our students, uphold their rights, and maintain a safe and orderly learning environment.”
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