Archdiocese Refuses Dance Crew Appeals

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has rejected appeals filed by the parents of 10 boys who were asked last month to withdraw--or face expulsion--from Alemany High School in Mission Hills, parents and school administrators said this week.

The boys got in trouble for allegedly belonging to an underground group known as a “dance crew.” Membership in such crews is specifically prohibited in Alemany’s student handbook because administrators believe it can lead to gang-style violence.

Parents of the boys, along with the parents of several girls who were suspended and placed on probation for their suspected connection to the dance group, protested the school’s action and filed appeals asking the archdiocese to overturn the school’s decision. But the archdiocese recently sent letters to parents rejecting all of the appeals, said Scott Marshall, dean of boys at Alemany.

“We got a letter, and it was very political,” said a woman whose son was a senior at Alemany when he was asked to leave. “They [the archdiocese] were upholding the position of the school. . . . We’re practicing Catholics and we support the archdiocese, but there has been an unfairness.”

The woman, who did not want her name used, and other parents of many of the students involved said their children are not troublemakers or gang members. And, they said, Alemany’s rule banning crews is relatively new, so students should have received a warning before being kicked out.

Several parents tried unsuccessfully to enroll their children in other Catholic high schools, while most students simply entered public schools. At least one student is attending a non-Catholic private school.

At Alemany, administrators said the hue and cry over the dismissals has died down.

“We’re moving forward,” Marshall said. “People are a lot more aware” of the school’s policy on crews, he added.