SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Students, parents, alumni and community members are in their third week of protests following the departure of former Christian Brothers High School principal Chris Orr.
Orr says he was improperly terminated, and protesters are asking for his reinstatement. Meanwhile, the school still won't provide answers as to why Orr was let go, only stating that it would be "unlawful and inappropriate to publicly share further details."
But protesters, who gathered yet again Friday morning to protest the ousting, still want answers.
“The principal of Christian Brothers has been unfairly let go,” said alumna Adrienne Thames. “And we are concerned about why this happened with no explanation.”
Thames was joined by parents like Steve Sims and Daisy Po’oi who sang Mr. Orr’s praises.
“If you know Mr. Orr, you know him,” explained protester and parent Daisy Po’oi. “He’s a man of integrity. He’s a man of respect. And he’s respected everywhere. Kids respect him, families respect him.”
“I’m still considering him the principal because we think we’re going to get him back,” explained Sims. “But what basically happened is he was released for no cause.”
Chris Orr issued a statement Monday saying he believes his termination was the decision of the outgoing president. He went on to say,“I believe my termination was not only unlawful, but it was also completely inconsistent with the policies, rules and practices established by the Catholic Diocese, Lasallian District, and Board of Trustees.”
“Every time we’re out here trying to put a protest together or something, we get a communication about diversity and inclusion,” Po’oi said. “It’s not just about diversity and inclusion, it’s about doing what’s right.”
Christian Brothers issued a statement saying in part, “As with all personnel matters, we respect the privacy and dignity of the individual and it would be unlawful and inappropriate to publicly share further details. CBHS is also deeply committed to diversity and inclusion and that has included our efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive student body, faculty, staff and administrators.”
The response, however, is what bothers protesters like Thames.
“There are no answers,” Thames said. “They’re not giving any answers. They don’t have to is basically what they’re saying.”
Still, parents like Sims are giving the school the benefit of the doubt.
“My daughter, as I said, she graduated,” explained Sims. “She’s at UCLA now. School’s done a good job, so this is not about the school. I think this is more personal. Bottom line, they gave no explanation, no reason, no cause. It seems unjust and we’ve got to correct it. We got to make it right.”
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