So does anybody remember Guy? I never liked him much myself.. read on
Sisters Allege Physical Assault by Rim High Principal
Posted on Thursday, April 08 @ 09:16:26 HST by publisher
by Douglas W. Motley
Sisters claim Principal grabbed both of them at the same time
Two teenaged sisters, both of them students at Mountain High School, allege that they were roughed-up by the Principal of Rim of the World High School, when they went there at the end of the school day to pick up a friend. The pair, 18-year-old Raquel Relph, and her sister 16-year-old Roxanne Relph, both residents of Arrowbear, told The Alpenhorn News, on Monday, April 6 that as they entered the school building a few minutes before the end of the school day on Tuesday, March 30, they were met inside by Principal Guy Bonanno, who asked them to leave the building and wait outside.
As the girls were headed for the parking lot, the younger one, Roxanne commented, ?This school sucks. I?m glad I don?t go here anymore.? Already in the parking lot, Roxanne alleges she was ordered by Bonanno to come back. He then allegedly approached her and said, ?Watch me,? as he grabbed her arm with his hand and began to escort her back into the building.
The older sister said, ?When I followed my sister back into the building, he (Bonanno) asked me to leave, then he grabbed my arm? he had a hold of both of us at the same time.? She said she told Bonanno, ?You can?t touch me.? Breaking away from the Principal, Raquel said she went to use a pay phone to call her mother. It was then, according to Relph, that Bonanno grabbed her left arm, before she could dial the phone, and lifted her completely off the ground by her arm only.
Raquel said, ?He picked up my sister, with his arm around her waist, and held onto my arm hard as he walked us toward the security office. It was then, according to Relph, that her sister?s boyfriend Rhey Lindes arrived and allegedly told the Principal, ?You don?t have the right to touch them.? Relph said, ?When I told Bonanno he was going to be sued, he let go of both of us and said, ?That?s OK, I know what school you go to.?
According to the older sister, Bonanno called Flo Mullendore, the Principal at Mountain High School, and asked her to suspend each of them for five days. Relph claims Mullendore declined to suspend the girls when she was informed that they and their mother were going to file a police report on the incident.
Girls? mother says she?s going to sue
The girls? mother, Tina Sutero, said, ?When I reported the incident to Assistant Superintendent Paul Loesch, he told me that no school employee is allowed to touch any student out of anger.? Loesch was quoted in another newspaper as saying, ? We are looking into the incident.? Sutero said she has already approached attorney Gloria Allred, noted for her handling of high-profile lawsuits in defense of women?s rights. The sisters indicated that they are aware of at least five persons who witnessed the incident, including an attendance clerk at the school.
On Wednesday, March 31, Sutero took both of her daughters to the emergency room at Mountains Community Hospital for an examination and treatment of their injuries. A hospital report dated March 31, 2004 states, ?You have a deep bruise (contusion). Contusions are areas of tenderness and swelling in the soft tissues. They are the result of trauma and bleeding in the injured area. Contusions may stay swollen and painful for a few weeks.? Both sisters rolled up their sleeves, revealing bruises, which were still plainly visible one week after the alleged incident.
Sutero stated, ?My kids are good kids. They don?t get into trouble. I think Bonanno should be put on leave because he?s a danger to kids.? She said she has lived on the mountain for 36 years, attended Rim Schools herself, and that she has never heard of this happening before.
Administrators are unavailable for comment
Attempts to reach school district administrators, including the Superintendent and two Assistant Superintendents, on Monday and Tuesday, were unsuccessful due to most administrators taking time off for Spring Break. The District?s Director of Student Welfare and Attendance, Tom Smith, was contacted on Tuesday, but he, like other district personnel, was not at liberty to comment. Smith said he was not able to comment because he was not aware of all the circumstances. He suggested contacting Assistant Superintendent of Personnel, Bryan Shaw, when school resumes on Monday, April 12.
Guy Bonanno, had served as the school?s Vice Principal for about a year, before being appointed Principal, in May, 2003. Before his tenure at Rim High School, he had served as a Principal at Big Bear High School, and at the private CEDU School, in Running Springs, before that. Calls to each of these schools on Monday found administrators unwilling to comment on Bonanno?s employment there.
Assistant Superintendent Loesch was quoted in the San Bernardino County Sun newspaper on Thursday, April 1, 2004 as saying, ?The district follows the Education Code, which has strict provisions about when school officials are allowed to touch students, such as if they are posing a danger to themselves or others.? In the same paper, Loesch also said, ?Bonanno has not been removed from his position as principal because he works at a different campus than the one the two girls attend.?
Principal said to be a strict disciplinarian
A former teacher at Rim High School told The Alpenhorn News, on Saturday, April 3, that Bonanno was hired to restore discipline at the school. As soon as he took over as principal, he instituted ?lockdowns? where teachers would be required to lock their classroom doors as soon as the tardy bell rings. He said, as a result there would often be over a hundred tardy students showing up at the attendance office for admit slips each period. Needless to say this practice was not popular with the attendance clerks, however after a few weeks, there were fewer tardies.
The former teacher said Bonanno was immediately feared and disliked by students. He said a riot nearly broke out during a school assembly when the principal was booed by the student body.
A search of the CEDU School?s message board on the Classmates.com website, found a comment from former student Byron Hufford, who stated, ?Guy Bonanno was a great man, even though he could be a bit gruff.? Other students at the private school in Running Springs, previously headed by Bonanno, indicated a practice called ?Raps,? where there would be ?adults screaming at the top of their lungs at students.? Another former student said, ?Students were forced to tell all of their secrets during the Raps and then they would use the secrets against them.? Other students referred to Raps as ?physical and emotional abuse? emotional terrorism.?
There?s no evidence that Raps were used at Rim High School, however, according to some former students, it?s no secret that Guy Bonanno is a strict disciplinarian. School administrators are expected to release a statement regarding the alleged assault incident when school resumes, on Monday.
