Reporter Amanda Baumfeld is working on another follow-up story about the Charter Oak High incident.

Senator calls yearbook incident “blatant racism”
Article Launched: 07/01/2008 03:29:16 PM PDT

COVINA – Senator Gloria Romero wants Charter Oak High School to immediately correct racially offensive names of Black Student Union members in its yearbook and calls the incident “blatant racism.”

The senator said she reached out to the school district upon hearing the news of a student yearbook staffer replacing BSU student names with fake names such as “Tay Tay Shaniqua,” “Crisphy Nanos” and “Laquan White” next to their club photo.

“This is an outrage,” Romero said Tuesday. “This is the manifestation of racism in the San Gabriel Vally. We need to correct this and ensure that it never happens again.”

Romero requested the school district come together with the community and various civil rights groups to discuss the incident.

School Principal Kathy Wiard said there is no racial tension on the school’s campus.

School officials have plans to meet with BSU students and their families in an attempt to come up with solutions to the error, according Wiard.