When Community Against Substance Abuse volunteered to bring segments of the community together to investigate the pros and cons of closing the Los Gatos High School campus, the hope was that fact-finding would produce consensus.
Task-force chairwoman Vicki Thorburn released the report last week to CASA board members. While the report did answer some questions, the effort did not produce consensus. In fact, it didn't sway a single one of the 13 people--including five high school students-- whom CASA invited to participate.
When the task force first came together, two members favored closure; six favored keeping the campus open, and five said they were neutral on the subject.
The information the group gathered goes now to the school administration, which, from the time the issue came up at the beginning of this school year, has opposed any change in the current open-campus status. Will the report sway minds there? We don't think so.
That's why it's important that anyone in the community who's concerned about this issue get their hands on the report. Copies are available from Thorburn at 356-2689 or CASA president Kathie Friedland at 395-9179. The report will also be discussed in upcoming issues of the PTSA and CASA newsletters.
The completion of the task force's work should not be the end of the discussion; it should be the beginning of a community dialogue.
Our position has been, from the beginning, that the campus should be completely closed. We find nothing in the report to dissuade us from that position.
Consider: Student Council members who observed the parking lots for a two-week period found the following: The average daily number of cars leaving the campus for the 35-minute lunch break was 75; the average number of students per car was 3-4. Some 9 or 10 cars each day left the campus at lunch time via New York Avenue, driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
Consider: McDonald's and Richard's Natural Foods would both be willing to bring food on campus if the campus were closed.
Consider: Arguments in favor of closing the campus include these: no autos leaving the campus, less opportunity for substance abuse off campus, reduced tardiness in fifth period, less disturbance to school neighbors. A list of disadvantages suggests inconvenience is the primary reason to leave the campus open: difficult to administer, restricts students' rights, lunch period would have to be changed, parent involvement if fines levied.
Consider: The report acknowledges that the state is urging high school campuses to close by offering a financial incentive to those that close. The report says that since LGHS is not eligible for those particular state funds, "there is no incentive...for the administration to consider closing the campus." Shouldn't the issue be why the state is urging campuses to close?
Two of CASA's recommendations are to seek further community input, such as a community forum, and to resurvey the parent population in light of the findings. (Only 21 percent of parents responded to the original survey.) We think both are excellent suggestions. The report will be a good starting point.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 19, 1997.
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