East Bay Times68%
Santa Rosa preschool closes in aftermath of former staff member’s arrest on child sex abuse materials charge 50%
By Kyle Garcia Takata65%
7/23/2026, 1:14:46 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 20 faulty reasoning types, including Anecdotal, Post Hoc (False Cause), and Confirmation Bias, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 14.2% saturation with 133 hits. Analysis detected 1,132 faulty-reasoning hits from 938 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 50.5% and a BS Rank of 50% (10,594 of 21,198 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 50.00% of the article peer group.
A Spanish immersion preschool that’s served Santa Rosa for more than a dozen years has closed its doors following the arrest of a former staff member.
Owners of Meyal International Spanish Immersion Preschool chose to cease operations, they said, after a social media post linking the school to the arrest damaged its reputation, leading to a significant decrease in enrollment for the coming school year.
“Closing Meyal International was never the outcome we wanted,” school co-founder Irene Silva said in a statement to The Press Democrat.
“We are deeply grateful to the families, students, and staff who have been a part of our community, and we are heartbroken that circumstances outside of the school’s operations have led to this decision.”
The school’s closure followed the June 17 arrest of 27-year-old Uriel Leobardo Ruiz Altamirano on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Ruiz Altamirano previously worked for at least three schools, but authorities did not identify the schools.
Silva said Meyal International was not notified of Ruiz Altamirano’s arrest by law enforcement but learned about it through a social media post June 17.
In a statement to parents after the arrest, provided to The Press Democrat, Silva explained Ruiz Altamirano was on staff at the school from January 2025 until his resignation from full-time employment in April 2026.
His resignation from his full-time position was not related to any reports of illegal or inappropriate conduct, according to Silva’s statement.
She said the last time he was at the school was May 28, 2026 as a substitute teacher.
The investigation leading to Ruiz Altamirano’s arrest began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February 2026, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.
Authorities served search warrants to electronic service providers associated with Ruiz Altamirano’s accounts.
Investigators searched his home June 17 and arrested him.
He was held in the Sonoma County jail until he was charged by prosecutors with felony possession of child sexual abuse material.
He was granted pretrial release June 22 and is expected to appear in court again July 23 to enter his plea.
Efforts to reach Ruiz Altamirano for comment were not successful.
Investigators found no connection between any children from the schools where Ruiz Altamirano worked and the material found in his possession, according to Sgt.
Casey Quinn, a spokesperson for the Rohnert Park department.
In a June 26 statement to parents, Silva and her co-founder and sister, Maria Silva, announced Meyal International’s closure.
“In the wake of recent events, a significant number of families made the decision to unenroll their children,” the statement said.
“The resulting loss of enrollment has created a financial reality that makes it impossible for us to continue operations in a way that upholds the standard of care and education your children deserve.”
Meyal International opened in 2013 as La Casita Day School.
The school’s website says the Silva sisters had a single goal: “Create the Spanish immersion preschool they could not find for their own family.”
Serving dozens of students ranging from 18 months to 5 years old, the school sought to provide early education that empowered students to succeed in both Spanish and English.
This mission is what attracted George Barahona, a Petaluma resident who enrolled his daughter at the school.
Barahona wanted his daughter to develop fluency in Spanish so she could speak with her grandparents — a goal he said the school helped her accomplish.
His daughter can speak Spanish fluently and confidently at home, he said, and has begun to develop parts of an accent he says he doesn’t have.
But when he heard about Ruiz Altamirano’s arrest, Barahona withdrew his daughter from the school earlier than planned.
His daughter, who missed one month of school, had already been scheduled to attend transitional kindergarten in Petaluma in August.
Other families, however, were not so lucky.
Barahona said he knows many parents who are now disappointed they are unable to send their children to a school specializing in Spanish immersion.
“We lost a pillar in young childhood education, specifically with the Spanish language,” Barahona said.
“I hope another one gets to open up nearby.”
Barahona said he doesn’t fault Meyal International’s owners for what he described as an unfortunate closure due to factors beyond their control.
The future remains uncertain for the school’s 14 staff members.
Irene Silva said she has no plans to reopen the school, but is seeking someone to become the new steward of Meyal International.
“After much reflection, I believe the school’s mission deserves someone who has the capacity to lead the school through the rebuilding process it would require,” Silva said in her statement to The Press Democrat.
Silva stressed the importance of the school in the community, noting it has been the only school in the area combining Spanish immersion education with other learning methodologies that emphasize science, math and the arts.
“When a school closes, those losses are felt far beyond its classrooms,” Silva said.
The school not only educated young children but also supported working parents, created local jobs and assisted in sustaining nearby small businesses, she added.
“While this unanticipated closure marks the end of a difficult chapter, it does not diminish the lasting impact our teachers and staff have had on generations of students,” Silva said.
“We appreciate their service and are grateful for all they have given to this community.”
You can reach Staff Writer Kyle Garcia Takata at kyle.garciatakata@pressdemocrat.com.
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