School board President Shelia Jackson wants to delay the elimination of marksmanship training in San Diego Unified schools until at least the end of the school year. The school board voted narrowly last week to immediately end the training, part of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program, and to convert school rifle ranges for other purposes.
The issue pitted student protesters and community activists who tagged the air rifle training as violent and unnecessary against students in the program who defended it as a valuable sport. Jackson and school board member Katherine Nakamura opposed ending the training and were overruled by school board members Richard Barrera, John de Beck, and John Lee Evans.
“Our kids are already signed up for a number of competitions,” Jackson said of her new proposal to wait before eliminating the ranges. “They should be able to finish the end of this year.”
The exact text of her motion was not available this morning. It will be discussed at a board meeting Tuesday.