NAACP’s List of Demands for School District

Re: “School Studies Charge of Racist Class Material” (Times, Nov. 24).

Though West Covina Unified School District officials have agreed to withdraw the film “Kingdom of Mocha” from its library, and Judith L. Rogers has issued a written apology over her paraphrased version of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream,” which the San Gabriel Valley branch, National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People found to be an affront to African-Americans, we call on district officials to take steps to avoid a repeat of these types of incidents.

Accordingly, the board of trustees, superintendent of schools and principal of West Covina High School should issue a public apology for their overall responsibility in the matter.

Furthermore, we call on Principal Ben Furuta to convene an assembly of all students of the school to have Rogers admit publicly to a terrible mistake of judgment in compiling the disputed material, and to apologize for doing so. As for the showing of the film by Ben Cimino in his economics class, if the instructors’ use of it was unapproved or unauthorized, we believe he should likewise apologize to the student body for doing so.

If it is determined that either of the instructors used the disputed material with malice, or intent to malign an ethnic group or sex, or should have reasonably known their actions would be construed as such, they should be severely disciplined.

As a precaution against the possibility of any instructor of the district showing films that offend any race or sex, we suggest controls be put into place to require specific approval of appropriate district officials prior to their placement into the schools.

Finally, we will request Amoco Oil Co. to issue a statement condemning continued use of the disputed film in public schools.

JIMMIE DIXSON

Acting president,

San Gabriel Valley

branch, NAACP