California superintendent ousted after school pays $27M to parents of 13-year-old who was beaten to death by bullies after 'restorative justice' intervention failed

During a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, the Moreno Valley Unified School District Board of Education in California voted 3-2 to fire Martinrex Kedziora from his position as superintendent. 

In a statement, Susan Smith, the school board president, thanked Kedziora "for his years of service to the Moreno Valley Unified School District." She added, "He has exhibited a real love for the students and families of our district. Occasionally there comes a time when institutions such as school districts need to make a change in direction.”

According to the Daily Mail, the vote came after the district settled a $27 million lawsuit earlier this month with a family whose 13-year-old son, Diego Stolz, was bullied and beaten to death by two of his classmates in 2019. 

Video of the incident shows one of the attackers punching Stolz in the face while his hands are by his side. He was then hit in the back of the head causing him to run into a concrete pillar, rendering him unconscious. The bullies hit him even more on the ground before running off. 

Stolz was rushed to the hospital where he would eventually pass away from brain injury. His attackers were charged and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, served 47 days in juvenile custody, and were ordered to undergo anger management. 

The attorney representing the Stolz family, Neil Gehlaway, said the boy's death "was entirely preventable, if administrators at his middle school had done their jobs." He continued, "On the Thursday prior to the fatal assault, which was on Monday, Diego was assaulted by one of the same bullies at the school." 

After the family reported the incident, the school's then-assistant Principal Kamilah O'Connor said the boys would be suspended. "She certainly made a promise to the family and did not follow through with that," Gehlaway said. 

He noted that she knew of the bullying assault, but never shared that with the other vice principal and the principal. She was also not at the school, on the day of the fatal attack.

The school implements practices of "Restorative Justice" in its school policy, as is noted in a 2021 'Commitment To Equity' pamphlet. It is in that very pamphlet where Kedziora notes that he is "proud of the work we are doing" and has made "equity an ongoing focus for our district."

The family said in a press release, "On the day Diego was fatally assaulted she was not at school that day." It continued, "Schools need to realize that bullying can never be tolerated and that any complaints of bullying and assault must be taken seriously. Diego's death was preventable if this school had simply prioritized an anti-bullying policy."

The Los Angeles Times reported that there were 38 calls to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department about Landmark Middle School, relating to threats, assault, battery, disturbances, and violations of the state Welfare Institutions Code the year before the attack on Stolz. This resulted in fourteen police reports being filed.