Riley Campion
Theme Editor
MBMS Principal Luke Oleusik announced on Wednesday his plans to resign at the end of the 2024–2025 school year. The announcement came shortly after news that Vice Principal Sheri Hyndings would be transitioning to the district’s Educational Services Department.
Oleusik’s resignation was shared in an email to all MBMS parents, in which he expressed his intent to stay in his role through the end of the school year.
“I look forward to finishing the remainder of this current year strong,” said Oleusik. “I want to assure [the MBMS community] that I remain committed to the students and staff here at MBMS during this time.”
Community members have speculated that Oleusik’s resignation stems from the immense backlash he received on Apr. 7 regarding his response to the events of Mar. 19. On that date, a firearm was found in the possession of a student on campus, but no lockdown was enacted.
Parents openly criticized Oleusik for what they called an “underreaction” to the incident, expressing a lack of faith in him as a trusted adult for their children.
The resignation follows weeks of parent concern surrounding the incident and the school’s response to the presence of a weapon on campus.
Prior to Oleusik’s resignation, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) Board convened a town hall meeting to address the firearm on campus at the Manhattan Beach Middle School (MBMS) on Mar. 19. The meeting was a response to community concerns and provided an outline for how the district plans to improve school safety.
The meeting opened with remarks from Board President Wysh Weinstein, sharing her personal connection to the issue, mentioning that her son will be a student at MBMS next year. She emphasized the need for students to have trusted adults in schools who help reduce bullying and prevent such incidents from recurring.
Superintendent Dr. John Bowes provided an overview of the district’s response to the incident, noting that a comprehensive review of safety protocols and communication strategies is underway. MBMS principal Luke Olesiuk commented on the incident as well.
“My determination was that the situation was contained and that there was no need to call a lockdown as there was no imminent threat to the safety of students, staff, or the campus as whole,” said Olesiuk.
Rachel Johnson, the Manhattan Beach Police Chief, explained the role of School Resource Officers (SROs) in preventing and responding to crime, emphasizing their dual role as mentors and educators. She discussed the status of the investigation, which is confidential due to the juvenile nature of the case.
“Since the goal is rehabilitation there is a lot of emphasis on protecting the child throughout these cases and what that means here is the juvenile is entitled to confidentiality throughout this entire process,” said Johnson.
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Irene Gonzalez-Castillo spoke about potential disciplinary actions, including mandatory expulsion recommendations. She also introduced plans to implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program at MBMS, which will involve extensive training and surveys to address bullying issues.
“Everyone needs to be involved to make this change as far as culture at the school site,” said Gonzalez-Castillo. “We do recognize that we have some important work ahead of us and to achieve and to achieve these positive outcomes and really make sure we have a positive school culture we will need the support of all of our families, staff, our students, and we are looking forward to supporting that at the district level as well.”
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard announced ongoing collaboration with safety experts to evaluate potential safety measures, including the possibility of requiring clear bags and even metal detectors. She acknowledged the community’s concerns and the need for clearer communication regarding safety protocols and responses.
“We are engaging with a safety and security expert who will review our response as well as our overall plans and procedures to provide recommendations for improvement,” said Murakawa-Leopard. “We’re beginning that work now I’ve already done so and we will continue that work through the spring.”
As the meeting progressed, parents voiced their frustrations, questioning the timeliness of communication and the principal’s response during the incident. Many felt that the principal had reacted inadequately, and there were calls for better supervision during lunch periods, where bullying often occurs.
“You didn’t consider all the factors that could be there,” said a concerned parent from the crowd. “I want an overreaction. I don’t want an underreaction, and on the 19th of March we got an underreaction.”
The board addressed various concerns, including accountability for parents during disciplinary processes and the possibility of having a stronger police presence on campus. They also discussed the need to adapt technology usage and communication strategies to better support the school.
“We are looking at every idea that has come in whether it is around more security staff, security guards, additional teachers, additional administrators, the restructuring of the lunch period, we are open to all of that and it is a primary focus of our work this spring,” said Bowes.
The meeting concluded with a commitment from the board to implement reforms and rebuild trust within the community.
“We’re learning and we’re growing and we’re getting better,” said Weinstein. “All of these people up here are so committed to making this better.”
Thoughts from the community on Oleusik’s resignation:
An instagram post by Annie Hartley, (@Anniehartleyhomes) commented on Oleusik’s email
to the community. Below are some responses to her post:
“Communication is key and when there is none hell hath no fury like an ignored parent.”
“Unless it was his son bringing the gun on campus, it sounds like a scapegoat situation.”
Leave a Reply