Teacher’s Aide to Remain in Job Despite Link to Gang

School officials said a teacher’s aide at Lennox Middle School will remain in his job even though he has been named in court papers as a member of the Lennox 13 street gang.

Renee Ramos, a teacher’s aide since last year, was one of 36 gang members named in a court papers last week that allows authorities to arrest them if they loiter, litter, play car stereos loudly at night or cause a public nuisance in two Lennox neighborhoods.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Kevin Ross, who won a preliminary injunction last week barring the gang members from certain activities in those areas, said he knew that Ramos was a teacher’s aide when he was listed with other gang members. But Ross didn’t believe Ramos posed a danger or problem to students because he was known by authorities as a young man who was trying to get out of the gang.

“When I made the decision to include him [in the injunction], I said, ‘I know he has a job and a lot of these guys don’t, but at the same time I want him to make a complete break on his part from his group,’ ” said Ross, adding that he felt including him in the court order would provide that extra nudge he needed to get out.

Ross said he didn’t notify the school, but officials must have known because school administrators were at a news conference in September when the names of the 36 gang members were revealed.

But Daniel Jurenka, deputy superintendent of administration in the Lennox School District, said the district didn’t know of any possible gang involvement by Ramos until this week. However, that would not jeopardize Ramos’ job, he said. In fact, he feels Ramos will make a good role model for students trying to leave gangs.

“There are a lot of [students] involved in gangs and peripherally involved in gangs and part of our goal is to let them think there is a future in life and that they can do good, positive things,” he said.