PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 35, N0. 20
JUNE 11, 2021
SAN Cardiff School MARCOS -NEWS principal retires after 26 years
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Veterans group explores cannabis, outdoors. A3 Encinitas Paralympian tries for Tokyo Games. A13
By Bill Slane
Switchfoot Bro-AM sets virtual concert. B1
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O’side mulls homeless shelter bids By Samantha Nelson
GAME ON!
ENCINITAS LITTLE LEAGUE teammates Cody Tait, 12, left, and Stone Lebherz, 12, are preparing for the postseason after the Padres finished second in the regular season, clinching a spot in the Leo Mullen Cup later this month. Teams battled all week for a spot in the championship finals on June 12 at Paul Ecke Sports Park. Story on A12. Photo by Carrie Kelley
Parents rally against school mask orders By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — As the 2020-21 school year comes to a close, many parents are gearing up for a fight heading into next year. Several hundred parents and their kids took to the streets of Carlsbad on June 5 calling for the state to end mask mandates in schools. Organized and founded by Sharon McKeeman, the Let Them Breathe group is preparing to challenge the state over its guidelines regarding the COVID-19 virus and its transmission among students. During the rally, McKeeman urged those in attendance to keep up the pressure on the state regarding mask choice in school. McKeeman said the state has not “followed” the science or data when it comes to in-person learning and masks in schools. The state has not released its guidelines for next year, McKeeman
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SHARON MCKEEMAN, founder of Let Them Breathe, speaks during a rally June 5 in Carlsbad calling for the state to allow optional mask-wearing in schools. Photo by Steve Puterski
said, although the group has sent a demand letter to the California Department of Public Health. “We’re just advocating for mask choice,” she said. “If a kid wants to wear a mask, that’s fine. But if they don’t want to
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wear a mask … they should have that choice.” Carlsbad attorney Scott Davison, meanwhile, was at the forefront of a lawsuit in February with the Parent Association of North County against the state.
The association won the suit, which allowed for schools to reopen statewide for secondary students to return to campus. Davison said the state barely put up a fight, also noting the guidelines and data used to develop the mandates were not grounded in fact. A number of school districts in North County applied for a state waiver to return to in-person and received approval from the County of San Diego. However, when their applications went before the California health department, the state changed the rules on the fly, Davison said in March, and found the districts were not in compliance. The group sued in February and was granted an injunction by the court. Davison said he expects another legal battle for the 2021-22 school year. He, along with McKeeman, TURN TO RALLY ON A7
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OCEANSIDE — City staff is gearing up to present potential affordable housing developers and homeless shelter operators at the upcoming June 16 Oceanside City Council meeting. According to City Manager Deanna Lorson, staff will be bringing such items forward for Council’s consideration at the upcoming meeting. These items will include responses from potential bidders to the city’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for a homeless shelter operator and affordable housing development. The city released its NOFA for the homeless shelter and affordable housing earlier this year to combat its homelessness crisis. Currently, the city does not have an overnight shelter. With its search for a potential operator, the city plans to open “a transitional homeless shelter with wrap-around services to obtain stability and transition people into permanent housing.” Leading up to those proposal considerations, Council recently considered an item to renew its contract with Interfaith Community Services to continue providing social workers to the police department’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) for an additional three years. Using Measure X funds, two full-time so-
ENCINITAS — After 26 years serving the CarTHE diff School, Principal Julie Parker announced her reVISTA tirement. NEWS At Cardiff School, Parker has helped to build a culture of cooperation and communication that has led to great success for the school, and the Cardiff School District as a whole, including the ongoing renovations at the elementary school and numerous school programs. RANCHO “I’m just in a position where SFNEWS I’m just ready,” Parker told The Coast News. “I wanted to go out when I was feeling good and strong. I’m so proud of what PARKER I’ve accomplished in the past 26 years here.” A lover of surfing, mountain biking and golfing, Parker is very much looking forward to being able to enjoy those activities on school days rather than on the weekends. Landing in San Diego County was almost a fluke for Parker. A native of Illinois, Parker’s heart was always in California and soon after graduation, she decided to head west with not much in the way of plans. Sitting in Joshua Tree National Park during her trip, she looked at a map and saw Los Angeles and San Diego. While trying to decide where to point her car in the direction of next, Parker liked the sound of Balboa Park in San Diego and drove south. Julie Parker plays on the Cardiff School playground. Photo by Bill Slane[/caption] Parker used her engineering degree in her first job as a safety engineer before realizing it wasn’t where she was meant to be. “I realized what I