A California high school principal was escorted out after his speech during the students’ graduation ceremony where he revealed he was voted out by the school board for loving the school and the community.
Stagg High School’s former principal, Ben Nakamura, allegedly knew he was not going to be returning to his position next year. He has only been the principal for one year before the school board narrowly voted him to be removed with a 4-3 vote.
Forced Removal
It remained unclear why Nakamura was removed from his post while he had the support of many students and parents enrolled in the school. However, the former principal said the school board kicked him out for his love of the school and community.
“I came here to serve you, to love you, to be in the mix and the grind with you. I wanted to tell the kids why I left, so they would know I did not leave them, I did not turn my back on them,” Nakamura said. He also said during his speech he began working at the school after he saw a fight on school grounds that was reported in the news.
Stockton Unified School District spokeswoman, Melinda Meza, said Nakamura’s choice of medium for his grievances was unfortunate. She noted how at one point during his speech, he criticized successful people and argued they “will do whatever it takes to stomp on top of others and pull them down to climb their way to the top.”
“There were strict COVID-19 guidelines, so no principals were allowed to give a speech. My son worked hard during COVID and wanted this day to be about him and his fellow students. Not some HR stuff and drama,” Meza said, Fox News reported.
“That speech tells me how honest this principal is with his students. Tell the students, be a mentor to your little brothers and sisters. He told us where he came from, how relatable, how vulnerable. That was my takeaway: Don’t be a sellout, tell the truth,” Sofia Colon, whose child studies at the school, said.
