BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Students at Del Oro High School staged a protest on Thursday following the arrest of Salvador Fabian, a 26-year-old school employee, by the Bakersfield Police Department. Fabian, a walk-on band coach, is accused of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old sophomore student.
Del Oro High School welcomes its first-ever students. (KBAK/FOX58){p}{/p}
Valeria Moreno, a ninth grader at Del Oro High, expressed her distress over the situation. “That makes me feel disgusted. It makes me want to move schools because it hurts me to know that people around me are dangerous around, and it doesn’t make me feel safe,” she said.
Students gathered outside the school, holding signs with messages such as “Honk for Justice” and “Beware of Sexual Assault,” to show support for their classmate and demand stricter hiring practices at the school. They also urged parents to be more vigilant about their children’s activities at school.
RELATED: Students at Del Oro High rally for safety reforms following teacher’s alleged misconduct
Students at Del Oro High School gather outside to protest
Alecia Chavez, another student, shared her disbelief, saying, “I would have never imagined that teachermy intentions were not knowing for a teacher to do that to their student.”
Natalia Flores Urias, a sophomore, described the student involved as a “shy, loving girl” and noted that she had been receiving online harassment since the news broke. “People should not be making fun of her for that. It’s not right. She deserves more even if she messed up,” Moreno added.
Students at Del Oro High School gather outside to protest
Comment with Bubbles
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
Cisahlee Meriwether, an 11th grader, emphasized the need for increased safety measures, stating, “They need to do more to help protect our kids because kids at school don’t even feel safe. The parents don’t even want their kids coming to school because of what’s going on. They need to do something about it.”