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Show Dungeons & Dragons, Other Disputes: Proper Issues for State School Board? Though you may have become weary long ago of hearing about it, there still is one question left unresolved by the Wasatch School District Dungeons and , Dragons controversy, namely who is to serve as the final arbitrator for such disputes? The Dungeons case was carried to the State Board of Education, as was a' dispute in Tooele County over a nurses program which offered contraceptive services and pregnancy testing. In either case, no apparent ap-parent good was served by the state board. The committee commit-tee handed the Dungeons and Dragons case over to State Superintendent Walter Talbot for further study only to drop the question completely after Wasatch school officials announced an-nounced plans to terminate the program. As for the Tooele nurses program, it was discovered the two controversial con-troversial aspects of the project already had been dropped, due to opposition from parents. The board refused a speaking request from member Erma Christensen and her Tooele County allies, saying it was not responsible for the "initiation or continuation" of the nurse project. The Salt Lake Tribune criticized the board's involvement in-volvement in local matters "....it can't be a watchdog over every classroom subject sub-ject and event," it said in an editorial. Board member Jay Monson worries the committee is becoming a platform for groups "who don't seem to be very tolerant of the fact there are other beliefs." Yet he also concedes that, between the local board and the state board, there is no intermediary inter-mediary to receive complaints. com-plaints. Erma Christensen told The Newspaper the Dungeons and Dragons controversy con-troversy became a state board issue because the parents who opposed the program "were willing to go to the governor or the president to stop it." The "satanistic" game, Christensen said, "was more or less something to keep the (students) busy." ' The details are not worth re-hashing now; what is relavant here is that the parents par-ents were dissatisfied with the local board's decisions. In a previous article, The Newspaper reported the board's decision at a March 27 meeting to continue the game, provided it was supervised, that the students did not have access to game manuals, and that the students have written permission per-mission from their parents. But, as the article further stated, the parents raised the matter again at an April 10 meeting. Mrs. Linda Bur-nes Bur-nes said taking the manuals away was like "giving the kids a slug of whiskey and putting the bottle in the cupboard." cup-board." School Superintendent Superinten-dent Douglas Merkley again urged the parents to let student interest in the game run its course. "Donald George (one of the angry parents) asked me to talk to the state board about it," said Christensen. The group she represented, she concedes, was basically two sets of parents, and this seems to confirm the claim by Superintendent Merkley that only five parents with students in the D and D program opposed the game. OPEN 6:00 to 11:00 CLOSED MONDAYS SOME OF OUR SPECIALITIES INCLUDE Filet Medallion Roast Duck Crab Lobster Scampi New York Prime Rib Chicken Cordon Bleu (One parent told The Newspaper, however, that he doubts the accuracy of that poll.) The game nowhas been discontinued, said Merkley. "We finished out the cycle," he said. "We did it on our own volition, without an outside out-side pressure." But Christensen sees the move as a triumph for her side. "They decided there was too much publicity," she said. The second flare-up on the state board centered around a health services project sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation according to state officials offered a $1.2 million grant to state governments gov-ernments to assess the impact im-pact of locating full-time nurses in a local school district. Utah, and Tooele County, snapped up the offer, of-fer, and with matching funds of a half million dollars, five schools in the Toole District were each supplied with a nurse. Problems arose when a group of school girls approached ap-proached one nurse about contraceptive and pregnan-. cy services. Such services are mentioned in the grant, but project director Robert Hilbert said there is no obligation to provide them they are mentioned as part of the nurse training, to be furnished only upon request. The nurse's request for contraceptive-pregnancy service was heard at the local Community School Council, where the assembled assem-bled parents voted both proposals down by overwhelming over-whelming margins. As Christensen recalled it, the vote was 85-30 against pregnancy testing and 65-40 against contraceptive service. ser-vice. The project's board of directors Superintendent Talbot, State Health Director Direc-tor Jim Mason, and Tooele School Superintendent Clark Johnson officially excluded the services from the program. The matter was settled. So why did Christensen and her colleagues attempt to raise the issue before the state board three weeks later? Janet Cooke, a member of the - Tooele J Board of: Education, said the whole project was the problem. "It's a giant step toward socialized medicine," she said, contending the program would be spread to other districts, at a cost of millions. But again, it is doubtful that Cooke, Christensen and Company had a mandate from local residents. Why didn't the original parent's meeting that rejected sexual services go on to spurn the entire project? "The discussion there was restricted restric-ted to two items," said Cooke. "They're concerned about sex education, not socialized medicine. There was a lack of information about the program." Christensen said her group asked for time to speak on the state board's agenda, and were refused. Says Logan board member Jay Monson, "We've never refused anyone time on the agenda, if they follow the guidelines, and submit their request two weeks before the deadline." Monson is concerned the state board could become an arena for the wrangling of special interests. "We've always had them; people want publicity," he said. "But it's increased in the four years I've been on Ihe board. "The right wing is becoming very much a force to be recognized. They come before the board time after time, saying they are representing the majority, but I really think they don't." He recalled the group opposing op-posing Planned Parenthood, which asked for time before the committee, which, to be fair, also invited Program Proponents. "Both sides were heard. Nothing was solved. But they got a forum," he said. The digressions into local issues, Monson said, most often of-ten come during board member reports. "Mrs. Christensen often uses these times to vent her personal feelings," he said. Erma Christensen, despite her perennial presence in these controversies is no fanatical Dragon Lady. Says one observer, "She's not a mean, vitriolic individual. She works pn all the issues, and the incidents she's caused have been far less than might have been anticipated. an-ticipated. "The state board is by and large conservative, but it's not that easy (to dominate the board)", he said. On her far right positions, Mrs. Christensen is by herself most of the time." What responsibility does the state board have? The final word on that might be found with superintendent Walter Talbot. The board's job, said Talbot, "is general control and supervision. It has no authority to interfere with local operations." The board forms policy that must ipply to all the districts, not just one. If a group of parents par-ents don't like the actions of a local board? "They could Growth in Utah: Opinions Wanted The citizens of Utah will have an opportunity to voice their opinions regarding the rapid economic growth and development of the state over the next 10 years. " The' Agenda For The Eighties is a long-range planning project established by Gov. Matheson, and is designed to help the state define its future and provide for public participation in examing alternatives available in growth management. A total of 100 individuals have been appointed ap-pointed as commissioners to represent each county in the state, conduct public hearings and to identify the important issues related to our future growth. v According to statistics from the Utah Department of Economic Development, Utah's present population stands at 1.4 million and is projected to reach 2 million by 1990, a 37 percent increase in-crease over the next decade. With additional impacts of projects such as MX, Inter-mountain Inter-mountain Power Project, synthetic fuels along with planned energy and mining, the population for the state by the year 2000 could easily reach 2.4 million twice as many people as presently reside in the state. Much of this growth will fall into the urban counties of Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Utah, where nearly 80 percent of the state's population now lives. 4Mt5 Park aty utah take the board to court,"-said court,"-said Talbot. The board has no control over Dungeons and Dragons, for instance, as an extracurricular extra-curricular activity. Even as part of the curriculum, Talbot suggests the issue properly would belong with the State Textbook Commission. Com-mission. What about the Tooele nurses program? Talbot was on the Board of Directors. The State Board of Education worked with several other agencies (the governor's office, State Health, Tooele County Board of Education and Health Department) to secure the foundation grant. Surely this is within the board's jurisdiction! Nope. The program isn't state-wide, but confined to a single locality. And despite worries that the program will be extended, Talbot said there is no commitment to the program beyond the grant's expiration in 1983. Even if there were.... We wondered, if every school in every school' district adopted a given program but independently, in-dependently, without state direction are you saying that still wouldn't be any business of the state board's? Yes, said Talbot. In spite of such neat legalisms, Talbot also admitted ad-mitted "there is no general appeal procedure form the local to the state level." Robert Hilbert, of the state education office, told us the state board isn't open to all comers for comment. "It's an education board meeting in public, not a public meeting of an education board," he said. But disgruntled or frustrated parents in the local schools may not be able to appreciate ap-preciate that subtle distinction. On July 9, public meetings will be conducted statewide with a primary purpose of not solving the problems at hand, but to identify the .most important ' issues relating to human and natural resources, public facilities and taxation. Commissioners appointed to represent Summit County include; Bill Wallin (elected Commissioner of Summit County) Bill Coleman of Coleman Land Co., and Dick Frost of Park West Ski Resort. Frost also has been assigned to chair the committee. com-mittee. The July 9 meeting for Summit County residents will be held in Park City at Prospector Square in the Prospector Theatre, and at the Coalville Courthouse. On Thursday, July 10, another meeting will be held for Kamas residents at the Town Hall. Meetings on both evenings, will begin promptly prompt-ly at 7.00 p.m. Following the July 9 hearings, the items of concern con-cern will be forwarded to a steering committee, where task forces will be assigned to begin in-depth studies. Final reports will be completed com-pleted by November, with drafts for legislation regarding regar-ding the findings scheduled to be presented to Gov. Matheson by mid-December. mid-December. Final summary reports on the effort will be made available to the public. 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Main, Suite 3, Heber, Utah 654-3032 or 654-4468 HOUR p.m. daily DARTS, FOOSBALL Reservation Accepted 649-6466 596 Main St. If vou wish to be listed in our Professional Services please call The Newspaper Thursday, July 3, 1980 Page 7 Open wide and say'Ahhhf "k mm Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner Sunday Thursday, 7 a.m. 10 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 7 a.m. 11 p.m. Bagel Nosh caters the eat hearty party Bagel Bakery, Delicatessen, Restaurant and More . 592 Main St. 649-6674 Claimjumper Restaurant 7 DAYS A WEEK 0-10 WEEKDAYS G-U MEDICAL Park City Health Center Holiday Village Shopping Mall Robert J. Evers, M.D. Family Practice Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D. Family Practice Robert T. Winn, M.D. Pediatrics Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.rr 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays 9 a.m. to Noon Office appointments and 24 hour emergency care Call 649-7640 OPTOMETRISTS Dr. John Gleave 160 S. 100 W. Heber City, Utah Eye Examination By Appointment Contacts & Frames Available 654-1863 ATTORNEY'S AT LAW; Palmer & Saunders P.C. Suite 204 Silver King State Bank Building Call for Appointment Office 801-649-6653 Home 801-649-7475 n t 1 1 WEEKENDS Main Street S43-SD51 gy 649 - 9014 DOCTORS |
