Parents Applaud School’s Decisions on Rogers

In a special meeting in the school gymnasium Wednesday night, parents at La Jolla Country Day School stood and applauded the decisions by the headmaster to place the safety of the children first before allowing ousted teacher Sharon Rogers to return to the classroom.

Headmaster Timothy Burns, addressing the parents in an open forum for the first time since Rogers was removed from the campus, was praised for his “courageous stand” during the past three weeks, in which the private school has been sharply criticized for its response after Rogers’ van exploded in what may have been a terrorist attack.

One father drew sustained applause and cheers from the several hundred parents when he indicated that school administrators were justified in first worrying about the safety of the children, and in now attempting to negotiate a return to the school of the popular fourth-grade teacher.

‘I’m Not Embarrassed’

“I’m not embarrassed to be a part of the La Jolla Country Day family,” he said. “And I’m not embarrassed that we’re trying to keep Sharon Rogers as part of our facility.”

School spokesman Richard Roth said Rogers did not attend the meeting because the school was unable to assure her safety there, as well as that of the parents and faculty. But he said a videotape was made of the meeting, and that the school plans to send her a copy today.

Exactly how Rogers will react to the overwhelming support for Burns and the school administration is unclear. Several sources close to her have described her as “very distressed” by his decision not to allow her to return to campus for the rest of the school year.

Navy Cmdr. Dave (Matt) Dillon, who has been in routine contact with Rogers and her husband, Capt. Will C. Rogers III, said Wednesday that the couple will probably release a statement today describing their feelings about the meeting.

“I told Capt. Rogers about the meeting, and he seemed real interested,” Dillon said. “They probably will have some comment about it.”

Sharon Rogers, a teacher at the private school for 12 years, has not returned there since she narrowly escaped injury when a pipe bomb exploded March 10, destroying her van while she was stopped at an intersection en route to the school. Since then, she and her husband have been resettled at a secret location.

Meanwhile, federal authorities are continuing to investigate the explosion to determine if it was in retaliation for Capt. Rogers’ mistaken order last summer aboard the guided missile destroyer Vincennes to shoot down an Iranian jetliner over the Persian Gulf.

Burns, La Jolla Country Day headmaster for the eight years, addressed the crowd Wednesday night by defending his and the school board’s decision not to allow Rogers to return this year. He said his paramount concern was the safety of the children.

He also pointed out that Rogers is continuing to receive her salary as she assists her substitute teacher. And he said he has presented her two alternative contracts for next school year.

No Substantial Threat

“In both cases,” he said, “they clearly say she can return as a teacher if we can verify there is no substantial threat to Sharon, the school or the children.”

Spokesman Roth said one contract would allow Rogers back on campus if a “substantial” assurance of safety could be provided by the FBI, the Naval Investigative Service and the San Diego Police Department.

He said the second contract would permit her to return “at the discretion of the headmaster.”

Roth said the school hopes to have an answer from Rogers by April 14. She has yet to sign either proposal, and attorneys for both her and the school are now entering the negotiations.

Burns told the parents: “I want to be both reasonable and fair. This is a most unique situation we are in. I am waiting to hear a response on one of the contracts.”

He also urged parents to help their children overcome their concerns and fears. He said terrorist awareness seminars will be conducted and that continued private security will be provided.

Counseled Stockton Kids

And he said the staff is meeting with a San Diego firm that counseled children at a school in Stockton, where a gunman opened fire Jan. 17 and killed five students and wounded 29 more.

“We need to get beyond finger pointing in this,” Burns said. “We need to get beyond name calling. We need to get beyond blame.

“This issue needs to be behind us as soon as possible.”

Several parents charged that the school has been unduly singled out for criticism, even though federal and military security guards will not permit Rogers to return to her own home.

“We have to wait for the U. S. government to give her the assurance that she is free herself,” one mother said. “Our school needs to wait and see what happens and not rush into this situation. Let’s give her the contract and see what she decides.”

The mother also described how she ran into Rogers at a pharmacy, and how she was frightened at seeing the teacher surrounded by four security guards in suits and ties and wearing earphones.

Willing to Live With It

“So how do you think your children and my children will react if she returns to school like that?” she asked.

But one father said he is “willing to live with less” than 100% security at the school if it means Rogers can return soon. And he said he hopes the events of the past several weeks do not make it appear that Rogers was flat-out fired, as Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego) and other sources have contended.

“It’s not like firing the chef and giving him two weeks’ severance,” the father said.

“So I can’t live with congressmen and the press taking poetic license when they weren’t in a burning van and they’re not in trouble and they’re not living in secret on a military base.”

That comment, too, was met by loud applause.