By Naomi Tsuang
Editor-in-Chief
Kyra Williams
Executive News Editor
And Kaelie Macaulay
Copy Editor
Mustang Morning News advisor and Broadcast Journalism teacher Michael Hernandez has been out of his classroom since April 29, and the Manhattan Beach Unified School District conducted an investigation after receiving a formal complaint about Hernandez’s interactions with students.
Mira Costa parents Lisa and David Mittleman filed a formal complaint to the district on March 18 claiming that they have witnessed Hernandez use “verbal abuse, intimidation tactics, favoritism [and] unprofessional journalistic ethics” with students. The formal complaint includes allegations of copyright infringement and theft, inappropriate behavior with students and threats to write negative letters of recommendation for college.
“Like other situations at Costa, it seems it goes away and nothing really happens, and I just feel like after all this happened, I’m not giving up,” Lisa Mittleman said. “I’m going to stand up for what’s right, and I’m going to see it through to the end.”
One section of the complaint alleges that the Mittlemans’ daughter, sophomore Lauren Mittleman, was assigned to work on a film project with Hernandez’s daughter, who is also in his class, in February of 2018. Students traveled to Cuba with Hernandez to film for their respective projects. Due to scheduling conflicts, Lauren and Hernandez’s daughter were unable to finish their film, Lisa Mittleman said. She also claims that Hernandez decided to have his daughter complete the film without Lauren, who helped plan and film the project. Hernandez later submitted the film for competition at the National High School Journalism Convention, which took place from Nov. 1-4 2018 in Chicago. The film won “Superior in Short Documentary.” According to Mittleman’s complaint, Hernandez omitted Lauren’s name from the film credits for all but photography, despite her work researching, editing and producing the film.
“Only after raising this matter during several meetings with [MBUSD Superintendent] Dr. Matthews were we able after the competition and convention had concluded to force Mr. Hernandez to notify the NHSJC that Lauren’s name should have been on the credits and submission and that she should be given equal accolades for her production of the film,” the complaint states.
The complaint also states that “Mr. Hernandez is also known to verbally abuse students by calling them privileged white kids and other names” and “pressures Mustang Morning News staff to produce stories that students do not feel comfortable covering.” Hernandez declined to comment due to ongoing discussions with the district. Mira Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale could not comment on the situation, he said.
“I just don’t think kids should have to put up with things like this,” Lisa Mittleman said. “[Broadcast Journalism] is an elective and kids should enjoy it and shouldn’t be stressed out about what Hernandez is going to say to them or if he’s going to yell at them or hold their college recommendations over their heads.”
The Mittlemans’ formal complaint also included claims of inappropriate behavior with students at the National High School Journalism Convention. The complaint states that Hernandez entered three different hotel rooms that included 17 Mira Costa female students without a female chaperone present. Girls were in various forms of dress and lying in their beds, the complaint said.
“When he first knocked on the door I was asleep in my pajamas, and the other girls were changing into more comfortable clothes too, ones that we really didn’t want to be in around our male teacher,” Mustang Morning News reporter and senior Adriana Gutierrez said. “My roommate opens the door and before he asks if he can come in, he moves past her and into our room.”
Dale and MBUSD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Brian Lucas interviewed Mustang Morning News students on April 25, 26 and 29 in regards to Hernandez’s behavior as an advisor, his interactions with students and the ways he resolves conflicts between students, Mustang Morning News Producer and senior Sydney Garmoe said. Lucas did not respond to requests for comment.
“While Mr. Hernandez is a very qualified and accomplished broadcast journalist teacher, his interactions with students and the way he conducts himself in the classroom leaves something to be desired,” Garmoe said. “Mr. Hernandez has yelled at students, has used profanity towards students [and] has chosen select favorites who have the ability to thrive while others working just as hard or harder are not getting the same opportunities.”
According to Gutierrez, she told Dale and Lucas during her interview that Hernandez has made racist and negative comments about socioeconomincs to her and other students during class.
“There was another instance when he pulled me outside alone after there was a mistake on the show and said ‘I know it’s hard to be the poor kid but you have to do better,’” Gutierrez said. “This is what he said word for word. I’ll never forget that.”
Dale sent an email on Wednesday to the families of broadcast and film students to inform them that Hernandez will continue to be out of class due to personal reasons, and administration will hire a long-term substitute teacher for his classes.
“Administration will work with that [substitute teacher] to get the students up and working, and will closely monitor the grades in the class,” Dale wrote in the email. “We value the cinematic arts and media programs and hope to support them for many years to come.”
MBUSD has yet to respond to Mittleman’s complaint. According to Lisa Mittleman, she feels that the district has not taken her complaint seriously and things will not change if Hernandez is allowed to continue teaching students.
“I’ve experienced three years of completely unprofessional behavior that is just childish and in no way [how] a teacher should conduct themselves,” Mustang Morning News Online and Social Media Producer Hope Stamp said. “I hope that this doesn’t get swept under the rug.”
As of January 2019, Lauren Mittleman is a staff writer for La Vista.
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