California school board leader resigns after allegedly hosting party with strippers, choir students
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A house party that allegedly involved strippers and high school choir students has drawn the attention of not only concerned parents but also Southern California authorities.
A photo making rounds on social media showed a group of shirtless men playfully flexing at a party. In the other photo – also on social media – a group of students appeared to sing carols in front of a holiday-themed setup. For officials with the Claremont Unified School District, as well as parents of the high school students, the allegations of male strippers making grand entrances around underage teens were no laughing matter.
On Thursday, an emergency meeting was held to discuss the allegations surrounding the party. School board president Steven Llanusa, the alleged host of the party, ultimately resigned from his post.
Gabriel Lozano's daughter is in the choir at Claremont High School. The dad was not happy with what allegedly went down at the party.
According to parents who spoke at the meeting, the choir students were asked to perform at a Christmas party at Llanusa's home. The school board president is accused of offering money to the choir kids if they stayed late to help clean up after the party.
A parent who spoke during the meeting said her 16-year-old son stayed at Llanusa's home for four hours. The mom said her son didn't feel he could or should leave since a district school board member asked him to stay.
The day before the emergency meeting took place, the district said it received reports of "inappropriate conduct" by adults toward a few high school choir students who were performing at the off-campus private party on Saturday evening. Claremont Unified School District did not specify who was suspected of making the inappropriate conduct.
The school district said in a statement that the Claremont Police Department is now investigating the photos and the allegations.
Below is a full statement from the school district released on Thursday:
"The District was notified of allegations of inappropriate conduct by adults toward a few of our high school choir students who were performing at an off-site, private party last Saturday evening, and law enforcement and the District are currently investigating the matter. I assure our school community that we are taking these allegations extremely seriously, which prompted us to immediately engage the Claremont Police Department who is now actively investigating this concerning situation. The District and school administration have taken steps to support and protect our students directly impacted by this incident, and we will continue to provide necessary supports. Additionally, we have been in touch with the students’ families to ensure they are aware of our actions to investigate the matter. Our paramount priority is to provide a safe and stable environment for all our students to learn and participate in extracurricular activities, and to this point, I want the Claremont school community to be assured that we will not condone any inappropriate behavior by adults toward our students."