School boards take a stand on war with Iraq

1/28/03 -- In response to controversy over a proposal to endorse a community rally against war in Iraq, the San Francisco school board approved a revised resolution Jan. 14 calling for the district to hold a "day of public discussion on war."

This event will take place throughout the schools by the end of February. The discussion will be "at appropriate school levels." During this event, students will be presented with a range of perspectives on the war with materials developed by the district's curriculum department in coordination with teachers and community groups.

The Oakland (Calif.) Unified School District also has taken a stance against the war. More than 30 Oakland schools held classroom presentations on a war in Iraq Jan. 14.

The Oakland school board authorized the teach-in last November. School officials say they invited pro-war speakers, but none were willing to participate.

Oakland's anti-war event generated less community opposition than the proposal in San Francisco.

That original proposal considered by the San Francisco board generated much criticism from people who believe it is inappropriate for public schools to push a particular political viewpoint.

According to San Francisco PTA President Sherrie Rosenberg, "While many of our members, as individuals, passionately oppose going to war with Iraq, the PTA believes that public schools should not promote a political agenda or teach only one side of an issue."

The final resolution was considerably softened from the earlier proposal, which called for the district to endorse an antiwar rally and instructed the district to work with antiwar organizations to develop lesson plans for all students in grades K-12.

The original resolution included a list of community antiwar organizations that could have been used as education resources. That list was deleted from the final resolution after criticism surfaced that some of the groups on the list are extremist and pro-Palestinian.

The measure passed by the board after hours of debate says the public discussion will cover "the background of the current crisis concerning Iraq, the options available to the United States government and the people of the United States for attempting to resolve that crisis, and the consequences of a U.S. military attack on Iraq."

Schools may invite parents and other members of the public as observers, the resolution says. And any student, teacher, or other staff member who objects to the discussion may opt out of participating.

The San Francisco school board also passed a separate resolution stating that the board "opposes the impending war on Iraq."

"Our unanimous vote sets our district strongly against the war on Iraq," says board Chair Eric Mar. "The war will cost hundreds of billions of dollars that could be used instead to benefit our children and improve our schools."

Another resolution passed by the board calls for every secondary school to provide to students and parents information about their rights to privacy from military recruiters and alternatives to military service.