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| • | Overview |
| • | Federal Guidelines |
| • | State Guidelines |
| • | Carver Elementary School |
| • | Related Resources |
Overview
Recently there have been many questions about religion in schools and Carver Elementary School in particular. This is a complicated issue that is covered under federal and state of California statutes. The Carver case includes a request by a charter school to locate in the San Diego Unified School District and the district’s desire to help 100 or more of its students. Documents produced by the district are listed in the Related Resources section, as are links to several stories from the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper.
Federal Guidelines
Public school districts, including the San Diego Unified School District, are required by the federal government to allow students to exercise their rights of religious freedom at school during non-instructional time, including lunch, recess or other breaks.
These activities must be student-led and student initiated. These activities must be supervised by a staff person at all times, serving in a custodial capacity. Staff may not lead on-campus religious activities, nor are they permitted to participate.
The same legal guidelines that permit prayer at school also permit students to wear crosses and stars of David, yarmulkes and place ash on their foreheads. Schools may not discourage nor encourage these practices.
Under the federal Equal Access Act, student religious groups at schools receiving federal funds have the same right of access to school facilities as that enjoyed by other student groups.
Specific guidelines are detailed on the U.S. Department of Education website, www.ed.gov. There are a number of guidelines and documents that address the issue of prayer in schools, including “Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, February 7, 2003” at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html.
State of California Guidelines
California’s standards respond to this issue by supporting the frequent study and discussion of fundamental principles embodied in the United States Constitution. Learn more by reviewing the History-Social Science Framework at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/allfwks.asp. For a summary of the framework as it applies to religion and the teaching of History – Social Science, click on Appendixes and view Appendix C.
The state’s Content Standards include the study of non-Western ancient world civilizations – looking specifically at their geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures. See the Grade 6 Course of Study at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/hstgrade6.asp as an example. This Course of Study includes the Bible and the Koran on the list of literature resources.
Carver Elementary School
The Arabic Language program at Carver is structured in the same way instruction might be provided in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese or any other second language. The program also helps the district meet the directives of the federal government to include foreign languages considered critical to national security and commerce under President Bush’s National Security Language Initiative.
This initiative aims to boost the number of Americans studying Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Farsi and other “critical needs” languages from kindergarten through college. For more information, go to http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/nsli/index.html.
Recently, the Boston Globe published an article on this program. It’s available online at http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/15/speaking_up/.
Absorbing New Students at Carver Elementary School
In August 2006, representatives of the MidCity Charter Academy approached San Diego Unified about moving their charter to San Diego Unified. Although the school was located within San Diego Unified’s boundaries, it was not chartered by the district. MidCity Charter Academy officials said they were operating under the authority of the Westwood School, a charter school in Los Angeles.
In February, 2006, the San Diego Unified’s Board of Education had considered MidCity Charter Academy’s charter petition. No further proposal was submitted to the Board. Last summer, San Diego Unified officials approached the MidCity Charter to look at options for bringing the students to a district school. San Diego Unified staff believed it was an opportunity to help an immigrant population become engaged in an American school, rather than have these youngsters continue to be isolated.
Carver Elementary was selected in part because it had sufficient space for the estimated 150 additional students. The staff at Carver, with very short notice, mobilized to clean and prepare empty classrooms and to devise an initial instructional strategy that would continue to offer single-gender instruction and an afternoon recess time provided by the failed school during which children could choose to engage in self-directed activities, including silent prayer.
All students at Carver recite the pledge of allegiance daily, and participate in weekly and annual patriotic events and school-wide assemblies celebrating America.
This was a transition year for Carver School and for the district. Improvements were made throughout the year. In the year ahead, students will be able to continue their constitutionally-protected prayers during a school-wide lunch break, but single-gender instruction will not be offered. Based on the positive experience and successful involvement of the new students and their families this year, we expect them to be even more engaged next year.
Pork and School Lunch Menus
The district has not “banned” pork from the school breakfast or lunch menu, nor is the lack of it at the request of a specific group.
School food service programs, in general, respond to the needs of the communities in which they are located. Some may include regional specialties on their menus. Schools in Louisiana, for example, serve gumbo. Other schools may celebrate regional holidays. In Kentucky, there is a special Derby Day menu. Many schools in the Midwest serve mashed potatoes with sauerkraut, but that would not go over well here.
Foods that students are familiar with are often added to the menu, and foods that students are unfamiliar with or that are poorly accepted are removed.
In San Diego Unified, pork products were taken off the menu several years ago because they were simply not well-accepted. It's possible that some of the lack of acceptance may be due to religious backgrounds in the diverse San Diego community but the district was not asked or pressured to remove pork products for that reason. Turkey-based versions of sausage and ham have replaced pork versions on the menus. These healthier options contain less fat and sodium.
San Diego Unified’s students are offered a variety of entrees and side-dishes -- including a daily salad bar -- and food services frequently tests new choices. Several of schools are responding favorably to the serving of sushi and we'll be seeing how students like Asian-style rice bowls this fall.
The district’s Food Services program is a national model of excellence. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine awarded the department its highest score in California and the second highest in the US. This national honor recognizes San Diego Unified for being at the forefront of health promotion, providing salad bars in every elementary school and offering students a choice of vegetarian courses every day.
Related Resources
| Documents | |
| • |
“Carver Elementary Religious Accommodation And
Related Matters  ,”
Memo from Dr. Carl Cohn, Superintendent of Schools, to Kimberly Kidd, Principal of Carver Elementary, July 18, 2007 |
| • |
“Do’s And Don’t’s Of Religious Accommodation At
Carver Elementary School ,”
memo from Dr. Carl Cohn, Superintendent of Schools, to staff at Carver Elementary School, July 18,
2007. |
| • |
“Carver Elementary School Parent Newsletter,” July 2007
|
| • |
Letter to Rep. Susan Davis from Ted Buckley,
Chief Counsel, San Diego Unified School District, May 15, 2007
|
| • |
Letter to Peter D. Lepiscopio responding to his
letter of June 7, 2007, from Ted Buckley, Chief Counsel, San Diego Unified School District
|
| • |
Charter School proposal from Mid-City Charter
Academy, Board of Education Meeting of February 14, 2006
|
| News Articles | |
| • | San Diego Union-Tribune, April 12, 2007 Arabic program offered at school | District wants to provide options |
| • | San Diego Union-Tribune, July 2, 2007 S.D. elementary at center of dispute |
| • | Christian Science Monitor, July 12, 2007 Public schools grapple with Muslim prayer |
| • | USA Today, July 25, 2007 Some say schools giving Muslims special treatment |
| • | San Diego Union Tribune, August 1, 2007 Commentary by Supt. Carl Cohn: Carver Elementary - A good school gets a bad rap |