Mountain Views News Saturday, March 14, 2026 

PUSD REMOVES SIERRA MADRE SCHOOLS 
FROM POTENTIAL CLOSURE LIST 

At its meeting on March 9, 2026, members of the Superintendent’s School Consolidation 
Advisory Committee (SCAC) took the first in a series of polls to identify 
schools to remove from the list of sites under consideration. 

Based on the results of the initial round, the following schools have been removed 
from the list and are currently not being considered by the Committee for closure 
or consolidation 

High Schools

John Muir HS 
Pasadena HS 

Middle Schools 

Octavia E Butler MagnetSierra Madre Middle School 

Elementary Schools TK-5

Mary W. Jackson SteamMadison ElementarySierra Madre Elementary 

Alternative Schools 

CIS AcademyRose City HS 

These results are also posted on the district’s website at pusd.us/scac so the community 
can follow the Committee’s process. 

The Committee will continue its work through several additional rounds and, over 
time, will likely significantly narrow the number of school(s) to be considered for 
closure or consolidation. It is important to note that no school is slated to be closed 
or consolidated at this point in time, and that it is possible that the Committee may 
not recommend any schools for closure. 

We appreciate the thoughtful approach the SCAC is bringing to this work on behalf 
of Pasadena Unified School District students and the broader community. We look 
forward to reporting additional information to the community as the committee 
works through this process. 

HIKER HURT WHILE TRYING TO 
SAVE DOG ON MT. WILSON TRAIL 

The hiker's Doberman Pinscher dog, named Mitsy, was initially 
reported missing - later found deceased 


A man hiking Saturday afternoon on the Mt. Wilson Trail in Sierra Madre was injured 
after attempting to save his dog that had run off the trail, authorities said. 

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue along with the Sierra Madre Fire Department responded 
to a report of an injured hiker on the Mt. Wilson trail at about 2:45 p.m. 

Officials said the man sustained a leg injury while trying to retrieve his dog after 
it left the trail. Crews from both agencies carried out a rescue operation that lasted 
nearly four hours. 

The hiker was safely transported from the trail and taken to a local hospital for 
treatment. 


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR WISTARIA VINE 

The Sierra Madre Civic Club is looking for docents to greet our neighbors and visitors in viewing our amazing Wistaria 
Vine. 
The Wistaria Festival is Saturday, March 28, 2026, 9 AM to 5 PM. Volunteers would spend two hours hosting visitors 
and providing interesting information about the vine. All informational materials will be provided. 

If you, a family member or friend would be interested in volunteering please contact Barbara Rounkle at 262 -2247594 
or 
brounkle@gmail.com 

Mitsy was an older black miniature Doberman Pinscher wearing an orange vest. 

COURTS RULE IN FAVOR OF FIRST 
GRADERS FREE SPEECH 

PASADENA (CNS) - A federal appeals court in Pasadena has ruled thatelementary students have First Amendment free-speech rights in school, 
reviving the lawsuit of a first-grader who alleges she was punished for giving 
a drawing referencing the Black Lives Matter movement, and suggesting 
that ``any life'' matters, to a Black classmate, according to court papers 
obtained last week.

 A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Court of Appeals on Tuesday 
overturned a lower court's grant of early judgment for Capistrano Unified 
School District and Jesus Becerra, the principal at Viejo ElementarySchool. The defendants had argued that the drawing was not protected by 
the First Amendment.

 The episode began with a 2021 class lesson about Martin Luther King Jr., 
when the girl identified in court papers as B.B. drew a picture of herself and 
her friends holding hands, writing ``Black Lives Mater'' (sic) and ``any life'' 
on the drawing. She gave it to a classmate as a gesture of friendship, her attorneys 
said.

 When the Black girl's mother raised concerns, Becerra spoke to B.B.and 
allegedly told her that the picture was ``not appropriate'' and ``racist'' and 
that she was not allowed to give her drawings to classmates, according to 
the suit filed in Orange County federal court three years ago.

 The principal forced her to apologize, banned her from giving drawings 
to classmates, and excluded her from recess for two weeks over the drawing, 
the suit states. 

Ruling on Tuesday that schools bear the burden of proving any restriction 
on student speech is ``reasonably undertaken to protect the safety and 
well-being of its students,'' the 9th Circuit panel vacated the lower court's 
judgment for Becerra and sent the case back for further proceedings.

 A message seeking comment sent to the Capistrano Unified School District 
was not immediately answered.

 Pacific Legal Foundation, which brought the suit on behalf of B.B.'s mother, 
commended the ruling.

 The decision ``affirms what should be obvious: Students don't lose their 
constitutional rights just because they're young,'' Caleb Trotter, senior attorney 
at the foundation, said in a statement.

 ``The Constitution protects every student's right to free expression. No 
child should be punished for expressing a well-intentioned message to a 
friend.'' 

CNS 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com