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Principal says he didn't order assault of KABC-AM reporter

By OSKAR GARCIA, | Wednesday, Jun 7 2006 8:15 PM

Last Updated: Wednesday, Jun 7 2006 8:15 PM

The principal of a Los Angeles charter elementary school said Wednesday that neither he nor his staff ordered the assault of a KABC-AM radio reporter last week.

Sandy Wells, the reporter working for KABC's morning show, "McIntyre in the Morning," was allegedly assaulted outside the school last week by a man demanding his audio tape. Station officials said Wells was also followed as he drove away.

Rumors of Aguilar's involvement stemmed from an on-air caller to KABC's morning show, claiming he witnessed Aguilar order the attack, according to producer John Phillips. Police are investigating the incident.

"I know for a fact that none of my staff were involved, our school did not direct that in any way," said Marcos Aguilar, principal of Academia Semillas del Pueblo school.

The charter school, which caters to students of Mexican descent, has attracted increasing attention from conservative talk radio hosts like Doug McIntyre as tensions over immigration rise.

McIntyre has accused the school and Aguilar of having a separatist philosophy that excludes children of non-Mexican origin from applying.

The controversy heightened after the alleged assault. McIntyre said he received four telephone death threats and school officials recorded numerous phone messages left since the incident, including a bomb threat made against the school Friday.

The Los Angeles Unified School District sent staff to the school Wednesday as part of a routine evaluation with specific instructions to look for anything racist or discriminatory, district officials said.

"A conclusion on this is still weeks away," said Kevin Reed, chief legal counsel for the district.

District officials found nothing wrong during a preliminary visit to the school last, Reed said, adding that the district will consider new information and the police investigation.

Aguilar said parents at his school feel they are the victims - not the perpetrators - of racism.

"Our parents are not ignorant of the history of our community and its struggle for civil rights," Aguilar said. "We feel like we're in the middle of Alabama in the 50s."

The school in east Los Angeles is one of about 100 total charters in the district, and not the only one designed with a "culturally relevant curriculum" in mind, Reed said. Students are taught in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Nahuatl, an Aztec language.

Aguilar said he plans to apply to renew the school's charter, which was originally approved in 2001. All charters in LA Unified must be renewed after five years. Reed said the school has until January to reapply and the district would not make a decision on the school's long-term future before then.