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	Teacher Dismissals Weren't Because of Underage Sex, Diocese Officials Say Students and Parents Have Petitioned Santa Margarita High Officials to Consider Reinstating the Two Men By Seema Mehta Los Angeles Times [California] March 14, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/business/careers/work/la-me-teachers14 mar14,1,7738132.story?coll=la-headlines-business-careers As parents at a South County Roman Catholic school have grown increasingly riled by the mysterious dismissals of two popular teachers, a church official said Tuesday that the allegations against the two men did not involve sexual conduct with a minor. Maria Rullo Schinderle, general counsel for the Diocese of Orange, declined to comment further about the dismissals of Eric Hansen and Gregory Rhodes, teachers at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Diocese officials repeatedly have refused to comment on the allegations since the controversy began in late January. Schinderle's statement was the first public comment by a church official on the nature of the allegations. Parents, alumni and students at the Rancho Santa Margarita school have petitioned the diocese to reconsider the dismissals. Parents, who have met with diocese officials about the matter, have been gathering regularly to plot strategy and to plan a demonstration. Students protested by wearing black to Mass on Ash Wednesday, have set up an Internet blog to garner support for the teachers and have formed a group, Students for Authentic Education, to contest the dismissals. "These teachers gave you a lot of respect as a teenager," said a member of the group, who asked that her name not be used for fear of reprisal. "A lot of adults in general don't do that." Teachers, meanwhile, have been told to discontinue before- and after-school tutoring sessions alone with students, according to three parents. The 1,653-student campus, which opened in 1987, has been roiled by controversy before. The diocese in 2001 disclosed it had paid $5.2 million to settle molestation allegations a former student brought against the school's charismatic founding principal, Msgr. Michael A. Harris. Parents said that in light of the recent sex-abuse scandals and the church's promises of transparency, the diocese's refusal to explain why it was disciplining Hansen and Rhodes was alarming. "It's the post-scandal mentality — anybody steps out of line, off with their heads. No second chances," said Ed Connor, a San Juan Capistrano father of three students and one graduate, who is fighting the dismissals. "The inexcusable part of this is in this society, in this climate, everybody assumes the worst, and [diocese officials] have allowed that cloud of suspicion to hang over these two men." Hansen was placed on leave in January after concerns were raised about student trips he led through Europe. He was fired Friday. The diocese has not disclosed why he lost his job. Students have speculated that Hansen may have been dismissed because students drank alcohol during the trips, although parents were informed beforehand that that was a possibility. Rhodes was fired last month for unknown reasons. Brother Lawrence Monroe, the school's principal, who was briefly placed on leave for failing to disclose the allegations against Hansen to the diocese, announced last month that he would resign at the end of the school year. Hansen and Rhodes could not reached Tuesday but declined to comment the previous day. Attempts to reach Monroe on Tuesday were unsuccessful. Connor is among scores of parents who are hoping the teachers will be allowed to return to school. He met Thursday with Father Gerald M. Horan, the diocese vicar of faith formation and superintendent of schools, and presented him with a petition signed by 460 students, parents and alumni asking for the reinstatement of the teachers. It said Rhodes and Hansen "are outstanding educators and have had, and will continue to have, an incredibly positive influence on the students … both intellectually and spiritually." The parents proposed forming a committee, including diocesan and school officials, faculty and parents, to hear such matters and make recommendations to Bishop Tod D. Brown. "Parents are up in arms," said Tarek El Nabli, a Coto de Caza father whose three children have attended the school. "There is no due process for these teachers, and these were the greatest teachers the school has." Brown said he was familiar with the matter but had left decisions up to Horan. Attempts to reach Horan were unsuccessful. E-mail: seema.mehta@latimes.com
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