Support for Former Principal Jesus Pedraza at South Bend School Board Meeting

Photo bysouthbendtribune

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Former South Bend Community School Corp. (SBCSC) Principal Jesus Pedraza addressed the school board on Monday, September 30, presenting his formal response to a recent HR investigation in which he faced accusations of threatening and intimidating a colleague—charges he vehemently denied.

The Executive Closed Session took place at 5:30 PM at the district's new headquarters in the Brown Community Learning Center, lasting approximately an hour and a half. During this time, community members and the media were excluded from the meeting. While the board did not vote on HR's recommendation to transfer Pedraza to the district's Bilingual Department, he stated that a decision would be made at the next board meeting on October 7.

Emerging from the building shortly after 7 PM, Pedraza expressed his intention to encourage supporters to attend the upcoming meeting, stating, "I shared what I needed to share, I feel."

Community Support Grows
Although the meeting was closed to the public, around 20 community members gathered across the street to show their support for Pedraza. Originally, the group assembled on a median near the building but was directed by school security to relocate.

Among the supporters were SBCSC teachers and families of students who attended McKinley Elementary School during Pedraza's tenure. Michele Grutzius, accompanied by her husband and their son Wrigley, held signs in both English and Spanish, expressing their backing for the former principal. Wrigley, now a fifth-grader at Edison, benefited from the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program established by Pedraza, and his mother emphasized the deep bond he shares with the former principal.

"He is a constant in their lives," Michele said. "He's in the lunchroom, he's in the car rider line, he's talking to the kids."

The Grutziuses voiced their disagreement with the district's decision to place Pedraza on leave and transfer him to Edison Middle School. Michele asserted that the complaints made by Edison Principal Sean Dillon against Pedraza were unfounded, stating, "I've never seen [Pedraza] be any sort of aggressive, ever, in five years. There are deeper reasons that this is happening."

Wrigley echoed his mother's sentiments, urging the school board to reconsider their decisions. "We should unite to tell the school board that their decisions are wrong and that we should definitely do something better—do what is right," he said.

Family's Perspective
Julia Pedraza, one of Jesus Pedraza's daughters, was also present to support her father. She reflected on her daughter's experience in the DLI program at McKinley and expressed hope for resolution amid the confusion surrounding the situation.

Julia stated that her father does not deserve the treatment he has received from the district, suggesting that SBCSC officials have been manipulating circumstances for some time. "I don't know why they've been trying to push him out, but he's also the type of person that's always willing to speak up," she said. "It seems they don't really like that, and they want to push him down."

Describing her father as a "strong leader," Julia emphasized his dedication to students and the community. "He is very passionate about kids, about our culture, about South Bend," she said. "He's been in the South Bend schools for over 20 years, and he's built a strong bond with the community—Hispanic, non-Hispanic, everybody. He's for the kids, he's for the people."

As the school board prepares to discuss Pedraza's future further, the support from the community continues to grow, underscoring the impact he has made in his role as a principal.