By admin 
Jesuit High’s plan to admit girls has sparked a legal challenge from supporters who seek to preserve the school’s all-boys model.
Read more Sacramento eatery cited for heavy black mold biofilm and bacterial slime residue
The plaintiff, a group calling itself Men for Others, in a lawsuit filed last week in Sacramento Superior Court claims the Carmichael private school lacked the authority to end its all-boys tradition. The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and negligent misrepresentation and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief.
The Catholic school is standing by its decision, saying the change followed a thorough review and was approved by both Jesuits West and the Diocese of Sacramento.
As the dispute enters a legal phase, here are the key events that led to the lawsuit and where things stand now.
Jesuit unveils plan to admit girls
On Oct. 5, Jesuit High announced that it will transition from its more than six-decade-old all-boys model to a co-divisional model beginning in 2027, in which boys and girls attend the same school but take mostly separate classes.
The school’s Board of Trustees said it approved the decision by an overwhelming margin, pointing to a “changing educational landscape.”
Board Chair Amy Rogers shared her vision for the decision, saying the expansion would allow Jesuit to extend its mission to a broader community by “forming young men and women for others into leaders of competence, conscience, compassion, and commitment.”
Social media groups created opposing plan
One day later, on Oct. 6, a Facebook group called “Preserve Jesuit High Traditions” was created by a user named Michael Ito. As of Thursday, the now-paused public group had 645 members. It was created to “allow for conversation, information sharing and organizing” in response to Jesuit High’s announcement. Posts opposing the transition discussed ways to “buy time to help address the enrollment problem,” including providing financial support to the school.
Another Facebook group, which remains active and features similar posts opposing the transition, was created Oct. 15 and currently has close to 900 members. The group’s description encourages members to “make our voices heard” and help “save” Jesuit High.
Parents, others rally outside Jesuit
On Nov. 12, About 50 parents and alumni who favored Jesuit High’s traditional all-boys model rallied outside the campus, wearing red hats that read “Make Jesuit All Boys Again,” while some observers watched from a distance while wearing masks and sunglasses to hide their identities, citing fear of retaliation.
Read more ‘No confidence:’ Staff, faculty demand better contracts as CSU gets strong budget
“Every generation leaves us with fewer and fewer real men, and this is the last place in our community that still produces them and puts leaders out there,” said Tony Kafouros, a class of 2000 Jesuit High graduate at the protest.
A Sacramento Catholic school closes
On Jan. 24, diocesan officials announced that St. Patrick Academy on Franklin Boulevard would close in June as part of a consolidation.
The officials cited declining enrollment, saying forecasts of another three to five years of declining enrollment led to the decision to consolidate the school.
Jesuit alumni offer $100,000 to delay transition
In a March 25 open letter, a group of prominent Jesuit High School alumni criticized the board’s decision-making process as lacking transparency and independent review.
According to the letter, the group offered $100,000 to delay the transition and fund a study looking into Jesuit’s financial situation, outlook and “various strategic options” before the decision becomes final. The letter said the Tsakopoulos family — prominent real estate developers in the Sacramento region— also offered to match $4.5 million in donations.
School leaders said they had not received a formal offer and would not accept anonymous donations or donations with conditions that conflict with the school’s mission and direction.
Alum group files lawsuit in Sacramento court
On July 17, a group of supporters seeking to preserve Jesuit High’s all-boys model filed a lawsuit against the school, arguing that its Board of Trustees lacked the authority to alter the school’s mission.
The Jesuit High School Board of Trustees’ Legal Affairs Committee said the lawsuit “mischaracterizes” the thorough process behind the decision and reaffirmed that “planning for the 2027 launch continues.”
Read more Railyards District projects marking new progress, Sacramento developers say