Religious club is just what the kids...

Religious club is just what the kids need

As a parent living in the Laguna Beach Unified School District I

am thrilled that there is an after-school club that includes Bible

stories, games and music.

I am responding to the letter to the editor submitted by Lisa

Genesta (“PTA shouldn’t endorse religious club,” Coastline Pilot,

Sept. 17). Firstly, there are inaccuracies that need addressing and

secondly I would like to tell of my experience with the Good News

Club.

First, the Supreme Court case: Good News Club vs. Milford Central

School, June 11, 2001, declares that all clubs are allowed equal

access to school campuses if other clubs are also using school space.

In other words, if a Spanish club, chess club, etc, are allowed, a

club that has religious purposes is also allowed.

The education codes she cited are for religious instruction and do

not address after-school clubs. These clubs are voluntary activities,

after academic instruction is finished, and school officials are not

to provide instruction acting as school officials. All available

clubs taking place at El Morro are listed in the El Morro After

School Programs parent information flier with a description for each

club offered. They are voluntary participation activities and parents

must sign their children up, thus giving permission.

People may be interested to note that federal law exists making

all clubs available to students under an equal access provision. I

would suggest that all parents at El Morro, religious or not, are

taxpayers, PTA parents, volunteers and are eager to get involved and

take their own children to either the Good News Club or another club

available on school grounds.

The Good News Club sustains a parent-involved and interested

audience. The letter stated that there is “instruction” thus implying

students are held captive. This is false.

My three children and I attended the Good News Club for more than

a year. I was impressed to see so many parents attending as well, as

they were assisting, learning historical accounts from bible lessons,

bringing snacks for the kids and helping put the rooms back in order

after the club ended. As a newer resident of Laguna Beach, it was a

pleasure to get to know other parents in the area and be involved

with such a committed group of families.

It is puzzling to me to observe that many folks insisting on

promoting diversity, open-mindedness, multiculturalism, various

flavors of pluralism so frequently are opposed to the participation

of people with a Christian world view. Is this open-minded? Diverse?

Are people of faith disqualified from constitutional provisions of

freedom of speech?

While the overstated argument insists on “separation of church and

state,” this is a partial understanding of the Constitution. Our

founding fathers wanted religious activity not imposed by the state,

or free from government regulation, but never is it stated that

people of faith are not to influence public policy, or be involved in

the state. Indeed, it is imperative that everyone vote, voice ideas,

and challenge anyone who determines that a message, while it may be

distasteful, not trump up faulty reasoning in legal terms to silence

these messages. Again, the statement that the district made “this

egregious assault of our Constitution.” is also false.

LAURA WELLSFRY

Laguna Beach

How thrilled I was to read Lisa Genesta’s letter to learn of the

Good News Club. I am sure the district has looked into the legality

of this instruction. Having taught kindergarten in this district for

28 years, I was never aware that this opportunity for our elementary

children to learn the great truths of God was possible on a school

campus.

How refreshing to have young minds concentrate on pure, joyful and

kind truths instead of the trash that is so easily obtained on TV.

This is an optional after-school class for only those who choose to

learn what the Bible teaches. How wonderful.

P.S. Hymns in honors chorus? Fantastic! When I taught, we were not

even allowed to sing “Away in the Manger” at Christmas time.

KATY CRUMLEY

Laguna Beach

After school religious club is perfectly legal

This is in response to the letter written by Lisa Genesta.

As the mother of three school-aged children I felt concerned about

the information contained in Genesta’s letter. Two of my children

have in the past attended the Christian based Good News Club and I

was never aware that this club might be in violation of the First

Amendment. So I decided to do some research and this is what I came

up with: On June 11, 2001, the Supreme Court had determined that the

Good News Club can meet in public schools after school hours on the

same terms as other community groups( Good News Club vs. Milford

Central School). The court reaffirmed the fundamental idea that the

First Amendment does not require the government to discriminate

against religious individuals, groups or speech. Instead the court

has reiterated that religious speech is entitled to the same

protection as nonreligious speech.

Contrary to the information given by Genesta, the Good News Club

is an after-school club that does not use PTA funds. It is run by

volunteers, mostly parents. All materials that are used are funded by

the Child Evangelism Fellowship, therefore the Goods News Club is one

of the few clubs run after school that are free of cost. The

fellowship respects the parents’ rights to decide if their child

should attend fellowship events held on school property. Therefore

signed parental permission is required for attendance. No child whose

parents are against religious instruction would be able to attend.

Genesta’s rights to keep her son away from any religious instruction

are therefore protected.

I also reviewed the state education laws (Cal Ed Code 51511; 92150

and 260) that Genesta encouraged us to read. Since these after-school

clubs are extracurricular they do not fall under the California State

Education Code.

I hope that information will clear up any misconception concerning

the nature of the legality of the Good News Club on school grounds.

SONJA RADACH

Laguna Beach

PTA shouldn’t be part of religious club

First there were the three “R”s: readin’, ritin’ and rithmatic.

Now there appears to be four: readin’, ritin’, rithmatic and

religion.

Can readin’, ritin’, rithmatic, religion and rebellion be far

behind?

NIKO THERIS

Laguna Beach

Oh, and about that baseball fence

In my last letter to the editor about the Laguna Beach school

district’s disregard for common sense design I forgot to mention the

proposed and partially completed 30-foot high fence around the high

school baseball field.

The school district not only shows complete disregard for

aesthetic and practical design but has become an insensitive

neighbor. Many homeowners’ views will be adversely impacted by this

fence. There must be a better solution.

PETER WEISBROD

Laguna Beach

Baseball field; a community project

With all do respect to the athletes, their parents, boosters and

members of the community, we as neighbors are not opposed to the

baseball program or the field. We have lived in harmony with the

field for decades, the traffic, errant fly balls and any view

obstruction. We ask for no more and no less.

The school district has put itself in this position by not

including or notifying the impacted neighbors and community, so that

we could work together in the decision making process, thus avoiding

this situation. This is why we have Design Review and a City Council.

If we want to live as a community, we have to act like one.

“Community” by definition is: fellowship; a group linked by a

common policy; ... an interacting population; ... with a common

characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.

Wham!! Smack!! Pow!!! Holy High Fence, Batman! Where did that

come?

One afternoon there were dozens of 30-foot high 8-inch diameter

fence poles around the baseball field. We have been trying to work

with the Laguna Beach Unified School District, which is exempt from

all the local rules and regulations of the community with which you

and I must strictly adhere to. The district has turned down a number

of options from us. We are still trying to work together as a

community with a viable solution that we can all live with.

The simple actuarial analysis is that the field is too small. The

question is how can we, as a community, make this work without five

people telling the community that this what you get, now live with

it, like it or not. At least ask me first, before just going ahead;

wouldn’t you want the same? After all this is the community of Laguna

Beach. I would hope we could work together in harmony as a community

even though the cart got put before the horse.

DAVID AND MICHELE NELSON

Laguna Beach

A huge thanks to all who helped clean up

Rick Wilson, from the Surfrider Foundation, Roger von Butow from

Clean Water Now! Coalition, the Athens Group (Montage) and other

Laguna surfing organizers reported a strong Laguna turnout for the

California Coastal Cleanup day held on Sept. 18.

Strands from Main Beach to Aliso Creek in Laguna Beach were

addressed. It featured everyone from Girl Scout troops to European

tourists pitching in to do their part to keep our beaches in pristine

condition. The sub-station at Oak Street was thrilled to have a major

contingent of super enthusiastic Laguna Beach High School surf and

soccer team member and their mothers as well as a major pack of

locals and kind local citizens scouring the sand and bushes. As a way

to say thanks to volunteers, some goods such as bottled water from

the Beach House and Las Brisas, delicious oranges from South Laguna

Albertsons, and even Jason “Watto” Watson from Laguna Surf and Sport

were able to provide major goods to the participants -- in “Watto’s”

case, prior to him competing in the QuickSilver Surfshop challenge

down at Trestles later in the day.

Other stellar friends include Gina’s Pizza Oak Street , Thalia

Street Surfshop and Soul Surfing School, Christian Surfers, Orange

County and of course Wahoo’s Fish Tacos! Blessings to all.

Sept. 18 is actually the largest one-day global ocean

(https://www.ocparks.com) and watershed clean-up effort worldwide,

which includes more than 90 countries. Most cities and counties,

however, do coordinate a clean-up effort quarterly through groups

like the Surfrider Foundation. The clean-up yielded almost 1,000

pounds of trash in Laguna alone.

The Coastal Cleanup Day and Adopt-A-Beach quarterly programs have

been administered for the past four years by the Clean Water Now!

Coalition in Laguna Beach. Now that our little towns slowed down, our

beaches are clean and the surfs fun, lets soak it up for the next

nine months. Go to https://www.earth911.com to learn more about the

clean-up efforts.

CHRIS WILLIAMS

Laguna Beach

* The Coastline Pilot is eager to run your letters. If you would

like to submit a letter, write to us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach,

CA 92652; fax us at (949) 494-8979; or send e-mail to

coastlinepilot@latimes.com. Please give your name and include your

hometown and phone number, for verification purposes only.