{"id":1846,"date":"2026-06-11T13:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1846"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:39:25","slug":"california-catholic-school-teacher-departs-after-emotionally-charged-classroom-discussion-on-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1846","title":{"rendered":"California Catholic school teacher departs after \u2019emotionally charged\u2019 classroom discussion on sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>A teacher has unexpectedly departed Stella Maris Academy in La Jolla following an \u201cemotionally charged\u201d discussion in an eighth-grade classroom.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1844\">Celebrities at Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals Game 4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Stella Maris Academy at 7654 Herschel Ave. began in 1947 as the parochial school for Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. It serves children in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, math teacher Megan Flores asked her students to submit anonymous questions about high school for an in-class discussion May 20, according to a parent whose daughter was in the class. Topics could be anything the students were curious about, and no question was to go unanswered.<\/p>\n<p>Some questions skewed toward sexuality, including homosexuality and sex before marriage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMrs. Flores responded as best she could, at times referencing the Bible,\u201d said the parent, whose name is being withheld to preserve his daughter\u2019s privacy. \u201cBased on my daughter\u2019s report, she adhered to the Scriptures. However, given the emotionally charged nature of the discussion, some of her comments might have been mischaracterized in reports to parents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, the parent said, his daughter reported that on the topic of homosexuality, the teacher \u201cquoted the Bible, saying that men should go with women. Then she added that people should be tolerant of others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, other comments Flores is said to have made raised additional alarms among some parents and school officials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom what I have heard afterward, Mrs. Flores told the kids that if management \u2026 entered, they would need to stop,\u201d the parent said. \u201cSome kids repeated that to their parents, who contacted the school, and I think this was one of the contentious points \u2014 that Mrs. Flores was doing this knowing that management would not necessarily approve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1842\">As beef prices hit record highs, home cooks rediscover the world\u2019s oldest cheap proteins<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <em>La Jolla Light<\/em> could not immediately reach Flores for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The school emailed a letter to eighth-grade parents about \u201can incident that recently came to our attention involving a classroom discussion that occurred without the knowledge of the administration or our pastor.\u201d The email was signed by co-Principals Katie Zack and Francie Moss and pastor Patrick Mulcahy.<\/p>\n<p>The letter did not name Flores or describe the nature of the conversation but said \u201cWhile we believe the teacher\u2019s intentions were well-meaning, we agree that topics of this nature are best addressed by parents or individuals specifically trained in these sensitive areas, always guided by Catholic moral teaching and with the knowledge and consent of parents. As a school rooted in our Catholic faith, we regret that this situation occurred and sincerely apologize for any concern or discomfort it may have caused students or families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The message added that the school was \u201creviewing our procedures and taking steps to ensure situations like this do not happen again.\u201d It offered families an opportunity to meet with Mulcahy about any additional questions.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Soon after, another letter was sent to the school community announcing that Flores was retiring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is with great sadness that we say goodbye to \u2026 Mrs. Flores,\u201d the letter stated. \u201cShe has made the decision to remain at home full time to spend precious moments with her two beautiful children. We wish to thank Mrs. Flores for her commitment to our students and to all she has offered to Stella Maris Academy. She will be dearly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Representatives of the school declined to provide additional information to the <em>Light<\/em>, saying they could not discuss personnel issues. \u2666<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1840\">Police seize 23 pounds of methamphetamine in Redwood City<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Catholic school Stella Maris Academy says eighth-grade teacher Megan Flores has retired after she reportedly discussed questions from students about sexuality, prompting an apology from the school<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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