Former LexCath parent and alumnus call for leadership change

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- A small group of NAACP leaders and supporters gathered outside Lexington Catholic High School this morning in hopes to influencing the resignation of some of the school’s leaders.

There were only about a dozen folks gathered near the school on Clays Mill Road but they wanted to make sure their message was clear. Recently a white LexCath student was charged with terroristic threatening. Police say he threatened to “lynch” a black teammate on the football team. NAACP leaders say it’s just one example of a “systemic issue of racism.”

“As a matter of fact, it appears this incident will be swept under the rug, yet again, as so many other times before,” says chapter president, Rev. Jim Thurman.

The chapter also reminded the crowd of its ultimate goal of having the president and vice president of LexCath resign. Organizers say on two separate meetings with the bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, the matters were discussed. They also say since then, nothing has been done.

One parent at the rally says he also served as a counselor at the school for one year. He recalls his son coming home and telling him someone had called him the “N-word”. That man, along with an alumnus of the school say the school’s principal hasn’t done enough.

“She’s the person that everything is reported to so I don’t see how there’s any way she could not know,” says the parent, with the graduate chiming in, “Sally Stevens consistently prioritizes the image of the school over the safety of her students and that’s unacceptable for any educator at any level.”

The school issued the following statement from President Steve Angelucci regarding the morning rally:

“The decision of the Lexington Chapter of the NAACP to rally in front of Lexington Catholic High School is disappointing.  Lexington Catholic has already announced its commitment to address issues of diversity with its engagement of Dr. Roger Cleveland and the associate firm, WYRevolution. That process has already started.”