School-religion Decision Put Off For Two Weeks

The two religious 'groups which have requested permission to form clubs at the high school will have to wait another two weeks for a decisión. After a two-hour discussion which brought spirited comments from members of the audience and Trustee Paul H. Johnson, the issue was referred to a special Board of Education committee for further study. Vice President Robert E. Doerr suggested that the special committee be formed as a last-minute move to stave off a vote on a motion by Trustee Joseph R. Julin. The motion would have authorized the use of the schools by the clubs on a non-sponsored, non-rental basis. The groups apparently are requesting actual club status, sponsored by the schools. The clubs in question are the Huron Valley Youth for Christ and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Their requests to form clubs at the high school have been under discussion by the board for several weeks, and a decisión was expected last night. After a detailed discussion of policy, legal and administrative questions, however, the board seemed unable to come to a decisión or to come up with an alternative to Julin's motion. Julin recommended that the use of school facilities on a nonrental basis be authorized for non-profit clubs which are not eligible for school sponsorship. Provisions were also included that the members of the club must be primarily high-school students attending the Ann Arbor public schools, adult supervisión would be required and the clubs could not be formed for an "illegal" purpose. The effect of Julin's motion would have been to créate a new classification for schoolassociated clubs- that of a nonsponsored club which need not pay a rental fee. Present policy calis for non-sponsored clubs to rent the school facilities for meetings. A non-sponsored club would mean that it would be supported in no way by the school system. No publicity would be given to the clubs by school officials, nor would teachers be paid to supervise the activitics. Adult sponsors would dónate their services on a purely voluntary basis. I Julin warned the trustees tiat the approval of his motion ould have definite "budgetary mplications" in the area of ligher maintenance costs. He lso said that this change in olicy would open the schools o use by any club on a nonponsored basis if they complied with the set regulations ind were not formed for an ilegal purpose. About 15 members of the auience spoke on the religiouslubs request. A majority were n favor of the proposed clubs.] One student presented the board with a petition signed by more ;han 500 Ann Arbor High School students, favoring the 1 ion of the two groups. I Duane Cuthbertson, executive I director of the Huron Valley I Youth for Christ, also made al plea for the school board's ap-l )roval, saying the clubs shouldl e approved at the high school I 'because they're wanted" by al arge number of the students. I Frequent applause followedl speeches favorable to the reli-l gious groups' cause. Nearly all of the trustees,! along with Supt. W. Scott Wes-I ;erman, Jr., raised questionsl and problems which could re-1 sult from such a policy change. School Board President Hazen J. Schumacher Jr. added his comments, predicting that if Julin's motion were passed, the policy "would be changed in three months." Every group in the city could "demand use of our school facilities," h e warned, and "we're going to pay for this" in custodial and maintenance fees, he said. At this point, Trustee Paul H. Johnson angrily interrupted the discussion, declaring that he had never heard such "weak lame . . . and .garbage arguments" to avoid a vote. Declaring that "atheism" is "rampant" today in this country and in our schools, he said that any trustee who voted against the religious clubs would be "allowing atheism to continue." Loud applause greeted his remarks Johnson also reminded the trustees that an election was coming up, and that they would be well to consider the political implications Óf such a move. -Trustee Joseph T. A. Lee immediately retorted that he found it "quite distasteful" to use this issue as "political football" for votes, adding that it was "narrow" and "ungenerous" to say that those who did not support the clubs' formation are atheists. Doerr then suggested that the issue be referred to a special committee to examine possible alternatives the board could accept, adding that he was "searching" for a way to allow the clubs to use the school facilities. Doerr's suggestion was accepted. Schumacher appointed Doerr chairman of the committee, and Johnson and Julin as the other members. The committee will report to the board in two weeks.