[Sosfbay-discuss] San Diego Silences JROTC Guns: Education Not Arms Coalition

[Drew Johnson]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/39774

San Diego Silences JROTC Guns

February 10, 2009 (see photos below) - San Diego Unified, located in the
middle of one of the largest military complexes in the world, took the
uncharacteristic step of banning rifle training conducted under the
military's high school JROTC program. Eleven schools with rifle ranges
were affected in the nation's eighth largest urban district.

Before the board meeting began, speakers representing local high schools
and colleges addressed an outside crowd of 200 students, parents, teachers
and community supporters. Some high schools sent so many students that two
charter buses, courtesy of the AFSC, were used for transportation.
Anticipating a long evening before the school board would discuss the
rifle training issue, the Association of Raza Educators provided tamales
to help sustain the crowd.

It wasn't until four hours into the board meeting, at 9:00 PM, that the
agenda item came up for discussion. The vote was preceded by testimony
from about 15 pro- and con- speakers in front of a crowd that was largely
in favor of terminating the weapons training program. One school board
member said that in all of his many years on the board, this was the most
impressive student effort he had ever seen. Even two board members who
opposed the resolution expressed their admiration for the students'
involvement. When the decision was made, the resolution, which immediately
banned all marksmanship training in the district, passed by a vote of 3-2.
The crowd then spilled out of the auditorium to hold a loud and joyous
celebration.

This achievement was made possible by a collaboration of students and
various community groups who first came together in 2007 as the Education
Not Arms Coalition. One of their main concerns was the way schools were
tracking students into military training (via JROTC) while denying them
adequate class alternatives, especially ones needed to qualify for
college. Students from African American and Latino families were being
disproportionately affected.

To address the problem, the coalition adopted three initial
goals--convince the school district to:

   1. stop placing students into military science (JROTC) classes without
their informed consent.
   2. stop telling parents and students that the class will help them
qualify for college, when it won't.
   3. ban weapons training and JROTC gun ranges in San Diego schools.

All three goals have now been achieved, the first two by a
superintendent's directive, the third by school board action. Throughout
the over one-year long campaign, high school students have played a
central role in educating and mobilizing their peers, with support from a
variety of community and college groups.

Audio of the entire Feb. 10 hearing and school board decision is posted
here ( http://www.sandi.net/indices/board.htm ) on the SD Unified site.
Video should be added soon.

Click here for a video news report.  (
http://www.10news.com/video/18687674/index.html )

For more information: www.projectyano.org/educationnotarms/

Contact: Education Not Arms Coalition, educationnotarms at gmail.com