School Offers ‘Zoot Suit,’ but No Students Attend Film

SAN DIEGO —  The principal of a suburban high school who had blocked the showing of “Zoot Suit” a month ago relented and was prepared Tuesday night to show the movie on campus. There was only one problem: Not a single student showed up to see it.

Terrie Pennock, principal of Santana High School in Santee, said she still believes the movie does not fit the school’s 11th-grade American literature curriculum. But she said she had been willing to show the film to dispel any erroneous impression that her earlier action was racist or censorial.

“Racism and censorship are the kinds of things I became an educator to fight,” Pennock said.

Attendance at the 7 p.m. showing was to have been optional and open only to the 125 students from five American literature classes who had their parents’ permission. School rules require such permission when any R-rated movie is shown.

Reiko Obata, the teacher who had wanted to show “Zoot Suit” and had clashed with the principal and the chairwoman of the English department, remains suspended with pay.

Obata said her former students probably stayed away in a display of solidarity with her. But Pennock said the no-show was more likely an indication that interest in the controversy was never as high as Obata had suggested. Obata and Pennock remain at odds over the teacher’s suspension.

Pennock said Obata was not suspended because of the “Zoot Suit” clash but for other reasons that Pennock would not discuss because of a law requiring confidentiality in school personnel cases.

Obata has a one semester contract as a fill-in teacher. Two days after Pennock denied permission for “Zoot Suit” to be shown, Obata was suspended for the rest of the semester.

Obata said an assistant superintendent told her that she was being suspended for going over the head of the department chairwoman to seek permission to show the film. However, there are no documents to verify that contention.

In the controversy that followed Obata’s suspension, “Zoot Suit” star Edward James Olmos, the movie’s writer and director Luis Valdez, and a variety of Latino activists, civil libertarians and educators issued statements supporting her. Valdez said he was “appalled by the bigotry and censorship” at the school.

Pennock said the original decision was made because “Zoot Suit” was not suitable for use in the manner that Obata had wanted: to prepare students for “The House on Mango Street,” a short story collection by Sandra Cisneros.

A better introduction for the Cisneros book, Pennock said, is the movie that has since been used by the substitute hired to take Obata’s place, “Stand and Deliver,” also starring Olmos.

Both “Stand and Deliver” and “The House on Mango Street” deal with Latino students struggling successfully against adversity, Pennock said, while “Zoot Suit” deals with a murder trial, racial clashes and institutional racism.

“There is nothing wrong with ‘Zoot Suit,’ ” Pennock said, “but it is not a lead-in for ‘Mango Street.’ ”

Valdez was unavailable for comment Tuesday. Phil Esparza, associate producer of “Zoot Suit” and Valdez’s artistic collaborator for 25 years, said it was unfortunate that it took a controversy “to get this minimal action” by the principal.