DOWNEY : Students Hold Protest at Catholic School
About 500 students walked out of classes Friday morning at Pius X High School to protest reports that the coeducational institution may be turned into an all-girls’ school.
As police watched, the students gathered on the school steps at 8:30 a.m., waving “Save Pius” placards and chanting school fight songs. Then they joined hands for a short prayer before quietly returning to class.
“In the job world, there’s going to be girls and guys--we’ll have to work together,” said Lorena Chavez, senior class president.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles is finishing a seven-year study of its secondary schools and plans to announce changes at the end of the month, said diocese spokeswoman Brenda Anaya-Eckdahl. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony still must determine the scope of the reorganization and the fate of Pius X, which has 525 students.
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