School in turmoil after loss of leader
The Antonian College Preparatory High School community learned by letter that its principal, Tim Petersen, had resigned. Members of the school community believe he was fired.
The letter was from Marti West, the head of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, who wrote Monday that Petersen had resigned “effective immediately.” She offered no reason, thanked him for his six years of service and named John Mein, an assistant principal who has been at the school less than a year, as interim principal.
“What upsets the parents is that (West) lied to us,” said Gerald Flores, a parent of two graduates of the school and one current student there. “She said he resigned when in fact she fired him.”
Flores blamed it on a perception that Petersen was not pushing the archdiocese's newly revised student guidance on sexuality, portions of which had caused a social media debate in recent weeks. Other parents said that was one of
several rumors and they didn't know the reason.
The archdiocesan spokesman, Jordan Mcmurrough, said he could not comment on the departure of Petersen but defended the new policy and said it had been distorted in the debate and media coverage of it.
A couple dozen parents hoped to share their concerns about Petersen's departure with the school's council and with West at a meeting Tuesday. It was canceled at the last minute, but they gathered at the school anyway to discuss the situation with some of the council members.
“Parents and kids at the campus believe that the reason why he was fired was because he wasn't ultraorthodox right-wing Catholic, like Ms. West is,” Flores said. “He wasn't pushing her policy enough, that the school was becoming too secular.”
At the start of the school year, an Antonian alumna, Gabi Antuna, now a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, brought attention to the new policy, which warns students not to express or celebrate “same sex attraction.” Since Atuna's initial social media posts, a petition has been circulating asking for the policy to be replaced with more nondiscriminatory policies and work for inclusivity.
Mcmurrough said the policy was appropriate.
“When parents send their children to our schools, they expect the faculty and instructors to accurately present and articulate the truths of the Catholic faith,” he said in an email. “Issues such as Human Sexuality are undoubtedly challenging. That is why the new archdiocesan policy will help our faculties to provide clarity to truly assist people who are in difficult circumstances.”
Atuna called it problematic that the policy equates “confused notions of sexual ideology” with a “struggle” that Catholic teachings must help students through.
The entire policy is available with this story on expressnews.com.
West has recently met with small groups of students to discuss their concerns about the policy. One LGBTQ student in attendance, who asked not to be named, called it a good first step but hadn't heard of any next steps.
“Parents will continue to organize, they have requested a meeting with the auxiliary bishop, who is (West's) immediate boss,” Flores said. “The problem is it is affecting our kids.”
Parents would like to see Petersen reinstated, but they know that is not going to happen, Flores said. The group hopes to have an independent search committee look for a new principal.