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North County campuses quieter after two days of protests
Last modified Thursday, March 30, 2006 5:53 AM PST
By: DAVID STERRETT - Staff Writer

NORTH COUNTY ---- Most students stayed in class Wednesday after two days of marching to protest proposed changes to federal immigration laws.


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But while much of North County was quiet ---- there were no demonstrations in San Marcos, Escondido, Carlsbad or Encinitas ---- about 200 students protested in Oceanside and small marches took place in Fallbrook, Valley Center and Vista.

Tensions at Oceanside High School prompted officials to cancel classes today and Friday at the middle and high schools.

Despite the relative calm, officials said they remain on alert and are taking extra security precautions because of rumors that students may return to the streets Friday, the birthday of civil rights activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez.

On Saturday, a protest is planned at the Oceanside Pier, a forum is planned at Grape Day Park in Escondido, and some Vista residents met Wednesday night to plan one big protest for North County teenagers over the weekend rather than during school hours.

"It was pretty quiet and we had no problems whatsoever Wednesday," said Lt. David Mankin of the Escondido Police Department, which arrested 24 people during a protest Monday. "But I would say there is still some tension, and there will be more focus around the schools all this week."

On Monday and Tuesday, more than 1,700 high school and middle school students from around North County walked out of class and poured into the streets waving flags, carrying signs and chanting slogans in support of illegal immigrants on Monday and Tuesday.

The protesters make up a small percent of the 50,000 high school students in North County and 17,000 Latino students.

Peaceful day in Escondido


Many schools focused Wednesday on turning the protests into a learning experience for students, school officials said.

For example, all of the high school teachers in Escondido explained to students what the immigration bills that are being considered by Congress would do and how a bill becomes a law, said Ed Nelson, superintendent of the Escondido Union High School District.

Nelson said teachers also encouraged students to write letters to their representatives in Congress to express their opposition to the bills.

"We are trying to use this as a teachable moment," Nelson said. "We are getting very good conversations in class."

On Wednesday, attendance rates at the district's five high schools were closer to normal than on Monday and Tuesday, Nelson said. About 3 percent to 5 percent of the 8,113 students miss class each day, and about 5 percent of the students were absent Wednesday compared to 7 percent Tuesday and 13 percent on Monday.

For the lower grades, Escondido Union School District Superintendent Mike Caston said student absenteeism was normal Wednesday after 25 percent to 30 percent of the pupils in the 18,700-student school district didn't show up to class Tuesday. Normally, about 10 percent of them are absent each day, he said.

A large number of the students who didn't show up for school or left classes early Tuesday were from Hidden Valley Middle School, where 194 of the school's 1,200 students were absent, Caston said.

Caston said he didn't know how many of the district's absent students actually participated in the demonstrations, and said that some parents probably told their children to stay home Tuesday after Monday's disruptions.

At Grant Middle School, about 120 students walked out to join the protests Monday, Caston said.

Caston said students who missed school will be disciplined and will have to attend Friday afternoon detention, although the degree of punishment will vary depending on students' past disciplinary records.

More severe punishments may be in store for students who defied authority, such as leaving school after being told by teachers or administrators to return to their classroom, Caston said.

"Our students are truly children," he said. "They're not even young adults like high school students are. We can't have them think they can just walk out of school whenever they want to."

Coastal calm


Administrators at Carlsbad and La Costa Canyon high schools and San Dieguito Academy also reported a routine day Wednesday.

"While all the other schools are having walkouts and demonstrations, our kids are in class," said Scott Wright, principal of Carlsbad High School, which saw no students leave school to protest since Monday. "It's not that our kids' or staff's heads are in the sand."

The picture painted by some Carlsbad students was not as upbeat.

"The mood is that all the whites stare at all the Mexicans as if they're criminals," said student Jennifer Mendez.

Mingling outside of La Costa Canyon High School on Wednesday was Oton Gonzalez, 16, and a group of friends.

"It would not be America without Mexicans," Oton said. "It's a melting pot."

At San Dieguito Academy, an assistant principal, David Hall, invited some Mexican-American students to a conference room to discuss constructive ways to oppose proposals that would toughen immigration laws ---- while staying in school Tuesday.

Some students cut class to protest later that day.

Students suggested forming a club, writing letters and inviting civil rights advocates to the school as guest speakers, Hall said Wednesday. No students left the academy Wednesday and attendance was up throughout the San Dieguito Union High School District.

At La Costa Canyon, the number of students absent fell from 7.3 percent Monday, to 6 percent Tuesday and 4.6 percent on Wednesday, said Duan Harding, who is with the district's business services.

She said the number of students absent from Torrey Pines High School dropped from 8.5 percent Monday to 6.1 percent Tuesday to 4.0 percent Wednesday.

At San Dieguito Academy, 5.9 percent of the students were absent Monday, 5.6 percent Tuesday and 5.1 percent Wednesday, she said.

San Marcos students stay in class


San Marcos and Mission Hills high schools had no students leave campus Wednesday after having more than 500 absences the previous two days, said Ed Brand, superintendent of San Marcos Unified School District.

Brand said the schools are trying to give students the opportunity to express their feelings so they don't leave campus the rest of the week.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department plans to keep more than its usual 10 patrol cars in the area for the next couple of days in case there are any more protests, said Tom Bennett, the captain of the San Marcos Station.

"It's been very quiet today," said Bennett. "The students have been marching for the last two days and maybe they are tired or maybe they have decided to give us a break."

Junior Sonia Guzman said she was invited to participate in a walkout Friday, but she chose to turn down the invitation.

"I think they are all giving us a bad rep," said Sonia. "Everyone is talking about leaving that day, but I'm not."

At Mission Hills High, Principal Brad Lichtman said all the main gates were shut down as a "precaution" Wednesday.

He said there will be more campus supervisors and staff outside on the campus throughout the week.

Protests cool down in Vista


In Vista, high school campuses returned to normal Wednesday after two days of protests.

However, about 100 middle school students started a small march through the city that eventually attracted some Vista High School students for a small rally at City Hall.

The group, mostly from Lincoln Middle School, started out with about 20 students Wednesday morning who walked to Vista High School and Washington Middle School.

At noon, when the school day ended at Lincoln, the group swelled and walked back to Vista High. They rallied in a parking lot across Bobier Drive from the campus shortly after 1 p.m.

"Weíre just fighting for our rights and for our people," eighth-grader Yando Rosas said at the gathering.

Between 100 and 150 students from Vista High School joined the group when school ended.

Demonstrations in rural edges


In Valley Center on Wednesday, about 200 high school students gathered before school to demonstrate.

Accompanied by an escort of sheriff's deputies, the students marched along one of the rural community's main roads and gathered at a busy intersection through most of the morning before returning to the school.

One of the students who helped organize the march, Joel Rivera, 17, said the students waited until Wednesday so that the rally would be organized and peaceful. He said protesters encountered no problems during the event.

There was also no violence when about 100 students in Fallbrook protested for the third consecutive day Wednesday, skipping school and marching down Main Avenue in the afternoon.

By the time school let out after a half-day at Fallbrook High School, a crowd of students had congregated across Stage Coach Lane, waving Mexican flags and chanting. The crowd had apparently gathered during the morning, and around lunchtime began to march toward town.

Sheriff's Sgt. Rich Hendrickson described the crowd as "cooperative" and "low-key" as it made its way north on Main.

Staff writers Paul Eakins, Brenda Duran, Tom Pfingstein, Adam Kaye and Stacy Brandt contributed to this report.

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