Parents Sue Catholic School for Denying Students Food, Bathroom Breaks
Seven parents of 11 children have sued La Purísima Concepción Catholic School in Lompoc for assault and negligence after they say school administrators denied their children access to food, water, and the restroom, leading to urinary tract infections and long-term digestive issues.
The parents, all former members of the La Purísima’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), claim the students were singled out and retaliated against after they butted heads with administrators over campus finances. Amid the turmoil, the small K-8 school has seen a mass exodus of staff and sharp decline in enrollment.
One of the plaintiffs, former PTO president Carolina Araya, explained the problems began when her group resisted tuition increases enacted by Preciado that they felt discriminated against low-income and scholarship students. The PTO also pressed Preciado over campus improvement projects they had raised money toward but were never completed.
Araya began to suspect her 9-year-old son was being punished when he started coming home from school with a full lunch box and even fuller bladder. “They don’t give us time to eat,” he would tell her. “And they don’t let us go to the bathroom.”
There were also reports of bullying by other students, particularly under the watch of Signorelli, a close friend and confidant of Preciado. Another plaintiff claimed her son, who is autistic, was tied up with an electrical cord while in Signorelli’s care. Another said their child was struck with rocks on the playground.
Araya first took her concerns to Rev. Ortiz, who she said waived her off. Araya returned with a petition signed by 40 other parents that described Preciado’s “egregious behavior” and demanded her immediate removal. The petition cited the recent resignation of six La Purísima staff members — including three longtime teachers, which forced the remaining four teachers to each oversee two grade levels — and an enrollment figure that had plummeted from more than 100 students to fewer than 40. Ortiz again dismissed the complaints.
The following Sunday during mass, Rev. Ortiz — who is also a friend and ally of Preciado — chastised the parents who had challenged Preciado’s leadership, calling them a “leprosy” in the La Purísima community that needed to be removed. He singled out Araya, describing her as “evil” and using statements she had made to him during confession to vilify her, she said. “He not only violated my privacy, he violated canon law,” she said.
Ortiz told the congregation that if they didn’t want their confessionals aired during mass, they should “check out his Amazon Wish List … or otherwise enjoy the show.” His statements were corroborated by other parishioners who filed their own complaints with the church.
After that, Araya contacted the bishop, the deacon, and the vicar, as well as directors of the church’s educational department. She was never offered any support or assistance. The lawsuit was the last resort. “We exhausted all avenues,” Araya said. “We felt betrayed.” She has also been in touch with law enforcement and Child Welfare Services.
https://www.independent.com/2025/12/04/p...om-breaks/
Seven parents of 11 children have sued La Purísima Concepción Catholic School in Lompoc for assault and negligence after they say school administrators denied their children access to food, water, and the restroom, leading to urinary tract infections and long-term digestive issues.
The parents, all former members of the La Purísima’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), claim the students were singled out and retaliated against after they butted heads with administrators over campus finances. Amid the turmoil, the small K-8 school has seen a mass exodus of staff and sharp decline in enrollment.
One of the plaintiffs, former PTO president Carolina Araya, explained the problems began when her group resisted tuition increases enacted by Preciado that they felt discriminated against low-income and scholarship students. The PTO also pressed Preciado over campus improvement projects they had raised money toward but were never completed.
Araya began to suspect her 9-year-old son was being punished when he started coming home from school with a full lunch box and even fuller bladder. “They don’t give us time to eat,” he would tell her. “And they don’t let us go to the bathroom.”
There were also reports of bullying by other students, particularly under the watch of Signorelli, a close friend and confidant of Preciado. Another plaintiff claimed her son, who is autistic, was tied up with an electrical cord while in Signorelli’s care. Another said their child was struck with rocks on the playground.
Araya first took her concerns to Rev. Ortiz, who she said waived her off. Araya returned with a petition signed by 40 other parents that described Preciado’s “egregious behavior” and demanded her immediate removal. The petition cited the recent resignation of six La Purísima staff members — including three longtime teachers, which forced the remaining four teachers to each oversee two grade levels — and an enrollment figure that had plummeted from more than 100 students to fewer than 40. Ortiz again dismissed the complaints.
The following Sunday during mass, Rev. Ortiz — who is also a friend and ally of Preciado — chastised the parents who had challenged Preciado’s leadership, calling them a “leprosy” in the La Purísima community that needed to be removed. He singled out Araya, describing her as “evil” and using statements she had made to him during confession to vilify her, she said. “He not only violated my privacy, he violated canon law,” she said.
Ortiz told the congregation that if they didn’t want their confessionals aired during mass, they should “check out his Amazon Wish List … or otherwise enjoy the show.” His statements were corroborated by other parishioners who filed their own complaints with the church.
After that, Araya contacted the bishop, the deacon, and the vicar, as well as directors of the church’s educational department. She was never offered any support or assistance. The lawsuit was the last resort. “We exhausted all avenues,” Araya said. “We felt betrayed.” She has also been in touch with law enforcement and Child Welfare Services.
https://www.independent.com/2025/12/04/p...om-breaks/
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
