Show of support for San Leandro principal removed from ‘position of authority’

Protests over San Leandro High School principal's removal

Raucous applause was heard at the San Leandro Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday evening. That's because community members gathered in protest of the recent removal of a high-school principal.

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - There was a big show of support on Tuesday night for a high school principal in San Leandro who was recently removed from his position.

Community members gathered at the San Leandro school board meeting in protest of the decision.

On Monday, more than 1,000 students walked out of class in support of their educator, Ronnie Richardson. He and others want more transparency on why Richardson was removed from his "position of authority."

"He was my mentor, and I felt like he was an uncle to me," student Keyshawn Ward said. " We don't know anything. We've been hearing a lot of different allegations across campus. There's been a lot of rumors, and I'm just mainly here to really know the truth."

Teacher David Mason said: "If he messed up then he messed up, but please tell us that."

The school district says an investigation revealed allegations against Richardson, that included alleged retaliation and failure to report a staff member accused of touching a student inappropriately.

"The district by law, and by ethical standards, immediately launched an independent examination by an outside investigator into the allegations," school board President Peter Oshinki said. "The comprehensive inquiry found that a significant number of the allegations were truthful, disturbing and verified."

Richardson, and his twin brother, Reginald Richardson, both abruptly left Claremont Middle School in Oakland in 2014 to take the job in San Leandro.