Opened to Student Groups : Carlsbad Schools Change Policy on Meetings

CARLSBAD — Carlsbad Unified School District trustees bowed Wednesday to a new federal law and adopted a policy allowing any student group to meet on the Carlsbad High School campus as long as they do so peacefully and without breaking any laws.

Interim Superintendent James Stark said the “limited open forum” policy opens Carlsbad schools to any religious or political organization during hours before and after classes, or during the lunch hour, but warned that school principals will be expected to keep close tabs on the organizations and their activities “to see that they do no damage and break no laws.”

The vote was 3-2 with board President James McCormick and board member J. Edward Switzer Jr. dissenting. Switzer said he thought more study of the policy was needed.

The action, which reversed earlier approval of a restrictive policy on group meetings at district schools, came during the first discussion of the issue since former Supt. Philip Grignon left his post. Grignon favored a restrictive policy that allowed only academically related groups to meet on school campuses.

The school district’s problems began when a Carlsbad High School student, Detlev Obst, petitioned to hold a Bible study class on campus, citing a new federal “equal access” law that prevents schools receiving federal funds from discriminating against groups seeking to meet on campus on the basis of religious, philosophical or political grounds.

After Obst’s request, Carlsbad Unified School District trustees tentatively adopted a policy that restricted groups meeting on campus to those directly tied to the school curriculum--a restriction which would have ousted several popular clubs from the campus, including a ski club, a surfing club and a Latino student group.

Following a protest meeting last month at which about 30 parents and students spoke against imposition of the new policy without further study, trustees tabled the issue until last night’s meeting.

School board members conceded that they had no objection to Obst’s planned Christian Club meetings at the school, but feared that approval of the group would open the door to other, less desirable groups seeking to meet at the school, such as the Ku Klux Klan, the John Birch Society or followers of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.

McCormick admitted that the proposed policy banning all but academically related organizations was “a little too strict,” but said he felt it might be “the only way for us to exert some control over the messages presented on campus.”

Trustees also expressed concern that opinions expressed by groups meeting on the campus would be construed as having the blessing of school officials who granted the organizations the right to meet at the school.

Under the equal access legislation, supported by conservative congressmen and signed into law by President Reagan last August, if the school board permits even one non-academic group to meet in school facilities, it must give all other such groups the same permission.

The San Diego Unified School District adopted a policy last October that allows any student-initiated groups to use school meeting facilities after school hours, even though the organizations may not be directly related to the school curriculum.