As $27 million settlement looms in student’s beating death, Moreno Valley superintendent fired

The Moreno Valley school board in Riverside County has fired Superintendent Martinrex Kedziora, a move that appears related to a proposed $27 million settlement with the family of eighth-grader Diego Stolz who was beaten to death by bullies in 2019, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise reported.

The proposed settlement was made public last week by lawyers for Stolz’s family. The board has yet to vote on it. No reason for the firing of Kedziora was made public, with the board citing privacy laws.

Kedziora declined to comment on his dismissal, the newspaper reported.

The Sept. 16, 2019,  attack on the boy at Landmark Middle School was captured on video and shared on social media. His head hit a pillar. He fell to the ground, unconscious, and his assailant and another boy continued punching him. He never regained consciousness and died days later.

His family alleged the school failed to act after they told Landmark assistant principal Kamilah O’Connor days before the attack that the boys were bullying Stolz. O’Connor, the family said, promised to suspend the two boys. Instead, they were still in school on the day of the attack.

According to The Press-Enterprise, the attackers spent 47 days in custody and in November 2020 “made admissions” — the juvenile court term for the equivalent of pleading guilty— to involuntary manslaughter and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. They were sentenced to probation, including therapy for anger management issues, impulsivity and a lack of empathy.

More than two dozen members of the public who spoke at a meeting before the board’s decision said it’s clear that the firing was related to the boy’s killing and the proposed settlement, the news organization reported.

“It’s politics: They want someone’s head,” district employee Andrea Chavez said. “But I also believe it’s not the right person that they are pointing the finger at.”

Before Stolz’s death, dealing with bullying “wasn’t prioritized, there was no accountability, it was clearly neglect,” Moreno Valley resident Joanne Steffan said. “When something like this happens, the person who is really responsible is the superintendent. And we all know that.”

Others argued that firing Kedziora wouldn’t make things better.

“We are truly remorseful. There’s not one person that you will talk to that hasn’t cried over what happened to Diego,” Moreno Valley parent Wendy Ashley said. “But firing Dr. Kedziora does not bring Diego back.”

Moreno Valley Unified grandparent Russell Schaefer said Kedziora was to blame.

“I’m not saying the amount (of money) is unjust, but this could have been prevented from happening,” Schaefer said, The Press-Enterprise reported. “This money could have been for the children’s safety and education. And I believe you, Kedziora, are responsible for this mess.”