Los Angeles Times October 15, 1968

Board Defeats Move

to Void Castro Ruling

But Members Vote to Ask for Legal Opinion to Learn if They Violated State Law

By Jack McCurdy

Times Education Writer

A move to have the Board of Education rescind the reinstatement of teacher Sal Castro at Lincoln High School failed Monday.

Instead, board members agreed unanimously to request an opinion from its legal advisers on whether they violated stte law or board rules in approving the return of Castro to the classroom 10 days ago.

The board also rejected 4 to 3 a proposal aimed at discouraging sit-ins like those which plagued the board for seven days while the Castro case was being debated.

The proposal was to require the removal of persons from the board chambers 30 minutes after the conclusion of a board meeting.

Board members instead voted 6 to 0 to request Supt. Jack Crowther and their legal staff for a recommendation on crowd control in connection with the termination of board meetings. Board member J. C. Chambers abstained.

At the close of the meeting, eight housewives from Westchester and Playa del Rey staged a sit-in to protest what they called the board's permissiveness towards demonstrations.

The women, members of the Westchester-Playa del Rey Taxpayers Assn., were some of the 75 persons who attended the meeting to support the motion to rescind the reinstatement. They planned to leave at 9 a.m. today, they said.

Effort Made by Chambers

The effort to rescind the board's action on Castro and to adopt an anti-sit-in rule was made by Chambers before a capacity audience of about 200 pro-and anti-Castro sympathizers.

Most of the 19 persons who addressed the board on the issue supported Castro, including five church groups.

Chambers charged that his colleagues violated their own board rules, school district procedures and state law in approving a new policy under which Castro was allowed to resume his teaching duties.

The policy provides an appeal procedure before teachers accused of crimes are removed from the classroom. Castro was transferred to a non-teaching position in June after he was indicted by the County Grand Jury for allegedly helping plan the Mexican-American student walkouts in March.

Chambers argued that because the board had acted illegally, its actions on the policy and Castro were "null and void."

But the board instead adopted member Hugh C. Willett's motion that the matter be referred for legal advice.

Reason for Rejection

The board turned down the anti-sit-in rule after member Arthur Gardner said such a policy would not allow administrators to be flexible in dealing with protests, and the Rev. James Jones, board president, pointed out that the board has adequate authority under the state education and penal codes.

Meanwhile, the Assn. of Classroom Teachers of Los Angeles, which represents most of the teachers in the city school system, called on the board to reconsider the reinstatement of Castro.