Calabasas : District May Require Students to Volunteer

A proposal to establish a community service curriculum in the Las Virgenes Unified School District cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when the Board of Education endorsed the idea in principle and agreed to study it further.

At issue is whether participation by students should be mandatory--an idea that has generated controversy. The board is in the process of naming a committee to study lingering questions, such as the legality of mandatory participation, said Board President Barbara Bowman-Fagelson.

She said the committee also will study the program’s potential cost and whether colleges look favorably upon students who are required to do community service as opposed to students who do so voluntarily.

Assistant Supt. Leo J. Lowe, who favors mandatory participation, said community service would help impart moral values and make students better citizens. But others say the requirement would defeat the purpose because students are more enthusiastic about community service when they volunteer. And some critics say forcing students is akin to turning them into indentured servants.

Currently, only a handful of district schools provide either credit or grades for community service. Creating an established program, Lowe said, would ensure that students would get full credit for their efforts. The district, he said, could help match students with the community service programs best suited to them.

Many students already do community service, Bowman-Fagelson said, so the momentum is already there.

“Students at Calabasas High School collected three tons of food [for the needy] last year,” she said, “so there is a lot taking place already.”