Several seniors excluded from yearbook at Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- As a senior graduating from Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School, Jada Denton was excited to receive her yearbook. But when she opened it, instead of bringing back memories, it brought disappointment.

"I noticed that from letters C to H, there's a cut-off of students and there's like a whole section missing, and I'm part of those students who are missing," said Denton.

Students said the yearbook teacher retired early, and another school employee then took over the job. Now, the portraits of Denton and several of her classmates have been left out of the yearbook.

"My parents wanted to buy the yearbook because they wanted me to be able to look back on something," said Isis Sanders. "So when we got the yearbook and there was maybe 70 of our 116 class in it, it was disheartening, to say the least."

"I'm one of those people," said Aubrey Gregory. "It really sucks because I took time this summer, paid for that picture ... and it's not even in it."

Students and parents said they feel dismissed and that there is a lack of accountability.

"It breaks my heart because this is her experience," said Alicia Johnson, Denton's mother. "This is going to be her only experience as a senior. She worked hard, she made honor roll, she did her time, she put in all the work that she needed to get to where she's at, and it almost feels like they're just discounting all these seniors like none of it matters."

Eyewitness News reached out to the Los Angeles Unified School District, and in a statement, a spokesperson said, "The school apologized over the weekend to the seniors whose photos did not appear in the new yearbook. The omission was unintentional, and the school is working on a solution."

"She's going to have kids one day," said Johnson. "Her presenting this to her kids is going to be like, 'Well, did you ever even attend the school?' That's kind of embarrassing. So, I want them to correct the wrong. That's really it."