San Diego

Separate investigations will be conducted by the San Diego city school district and by San Diego police into circumstances surrounding the extensive police response to a student demonstration at Gompers Secondary School on Friday, Supt. Tom Payzant said Tuesday night.

During a school board meeting, Payzant and school trustees said they are bothered that the presence of more than 30 police units may have fanned the demonstration into a larger incident than it otherwise would have been. Despite the police response and the walkout by 200 students, there were no injuries, which Payzant and board President Kay Davis termed a matter of luck.

The demonstration was in support of Rhoenna Armster, a controversial teacher who was involuntarily transferred last week to Lincoln High School under an administrative personnel procedure invoked by the Gompers principal. Payzant said Tuesday that he and the board back the transfer, but cannot comment on the for it because of state law and possible litigation.

Payzant said the district will also look into allegations that Armster and other Gompers teachers--who have been at odds with Principal Marie Thornton--actively encouraged the students to walk out of class and will discipline them if they violated school district rules.