ABC Unified School District

Last updated

ABC Unified School District
ABC USD Logo.png
Location
Southeastern Los Angeles County
District information
Type Public
GradesK-12 and Adult School
Established1965
SuperintendentDr. Gina Zietlow
Schools30
Other information
Website www.abcusd.k12.ca.us

The ABC Unified School District is a school district that is based in Cerritos, California, United States.

Contents

ABCUSD serves the cities of Artesia, most of Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, the portion of Lakewood east of the San Gabriel River, as well as tiny portions of Long Beach, Norwalk, La Mirada, and Santa Fe Springs [1]

"ABC" stands for Artesia (founded in 1875), Bloomfield (founded in 1885), and Carmenita (founded in 1902), three districts which were unified in 1965. [2] [3]

List of schools

Adult schools

ABC Adult School is a public local adult school, established by the ABC Unified School District and headquartered in Cerritos, California.

Continuation schools

7-12 schools

High schools

Middle schools

Elementary schools

Nixon Elementary

Patricia Nixon Elementary School
Nixon elementary.jpg
Aerial view of Nixon's campus
Address
ABC Unified School District
19600 Jacob Avenue

,
California
Coordinates 33°51′09″N118°04′34″W / 33.852400°N 118.075980°W / 33.852400; -118.075980
Information
School typePublic elementary
Founded1973
School districtABC Unified School District
PrincipalDr. Tracy
GradesK-6
Enrollment670
MascotJaguar
The late former First Lady Pat Nixon, for whom the institution is named. PatNixon.jpg
The late former First Lady Pat Nixon, for whom the institution is named.

The Patricia Nixon Elementary School is located in Cerritos. It was built in 1973 and has grades kindergarten through sixth. The school is named after the late First Lady of the United States Pat Nixon. Patricia Nixon Elementary School was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 2004 and 2008. It was also the site where one of the planes involved in the Cerritos Mid Air Collision of 1986 crashed into the ground.

Board of education

ABC Unified School District's Board of Education members are elected by geographical district, to a four-year term. The elections were held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years until the 2017 election. Effective with the November 2020 US General election, elections are held in even-numbered years.

Blagden lawsuit

In 2010, Eileen Blagden, the principal of Stowers Elementary School, filed a whistleblower lawsuit against ABC Unified School District alleging retaliation for reporting alleged death threats made by a teacher. [4]

According to court documents, the incident involved Kevin Michael Kirby, a kindergarten teacher who had been transferred to Stowers Elementary following a suspension from his previous position. [4] Blagden alleged that in January 2010, after Kirby was involved in a motorcycle accident and arrived at school in a distressed state, he told her he wanted to "hire a hitman" to kill two fellow kindergarten teachers. [5]

Blagden claimed that when she reported the incident to the district's Human Resources Department, she was instructed not to notify law enforcement or the threatened teachers. [6] Despite these instructions, Blagden contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department over the weekend and informed the two teachers who had allegedly been threatened. [4]

Following her report to authorities, Blagden was placed on paid administrative leave and subsequently demoted to a classroom teaching position in June 2010. [4] The district maintained that her demotion was due to performance issues rather than retaliation for whistleblowing. [5]

In June 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell denied the school district's motion for summary judgment, finding that there was evidence another school employee knew of the threats and did not report them, which "weakens the credibility of defendant's position." [4] [7] The case was scheduled for trial in October 2012. [6]

In November 2012, the parties reached a settlement subject to approval by the ABC Unified School District Board of Education. [8] The case was formally dismissed on November 19, 2012. [9] The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The teacher involved, Kevin Michael Kirby, told sheriff's investigators he made the "hitman" comment "in jest" and said he "wouldn't hurt a fly." [5] District officials confirmed that Kirby was no longer working for ABC Unified, though they did not specify when or under what circumstances he left. [4]

References

  1. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Los Angeles County, CA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 10-12 (PDF pp. 11-13/19). Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  2. "History/Info Archived May 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ." ABC Unified School District. Retrieved on September 27, 2009.
  3. "A Pictorial History of Our Community Archived August 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine ." ABC Unified School District. December 2001.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Puente, Kelly (July 3, 2012). "Former principal's lawsuit claims she was demoted for reporting alleged death threats". Press-Telegram . Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Demoted Principal Accuses School District of Trying to Hide Threats". KNBC . July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Former Stowers Elementary Principal Blames Demotion On Speaking Out". KCAL-TV . July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  7. Eileen Blagden v. ABC Unified School District( Los Angeles Superior Court , Stanley Mosk Courthouse June 22, 2012).
  8. Eileen Blagden v. ABC Unified School District( Los Angeles Superior Court , Stanley Mosk Courthouse November 1, 2012).
  9. Eileen Blagden v. ABC Unified School District( Los Angeles Superior Court , Stanley Mosk Courthouse November 19, 2012).