dst@cs.cmu.edu (Dave Touretzky) wrote in message news:<buqc4b$1rl$1@sheepberry.srv.cs.cmu.edu>...

> Narconon/Scientology has successfully infiltrated the School Health
> Programs Department of the San Francisco Unified School District.

From some of the links you provided, I learned that the Board of Education has its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, January 27, at 7:00pm in the Irving G. Breyer Board Meeting Room, First Floor, 555 Franklin Street, San Francisco. There is a period provided for open comment from the public, lasting 30 minutes, with additional time provided at the end of the meeting if they don't get to you during the 30 minute session.

If I was speaking, I could imagine saying something like this:

"Thank you, members of the Board, for this opportunity to speak.

I was chagrined to learn recently that the Church of Scientology is currently actively operating within the San Francisco Unified School District, and giving presentations to classes.

I have no doubt this comes as a surprise to you, but I am not surprised at all. For years this organization has used surreptitious means to promote the beliefs of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, in California schools. This included an attempt to get Hubbard materials on "how to study" approved by the State Board of Education and an attempt in Los Angeles to create a charter school based on Hubbard practices. In both cases, those reviewing the applications only learned of the Scientology connection late in the game but before any damage was done and any public embarrassment was achieved. In both cases approval was denied.

I'm sorry to report that things have progressed farther here in San Francisco: Narconon, one of the myriad organizations in the Scientology world, which uses Hubbard's scientifically laughable drug treatment techniques, has already presented its anti-drug to message to Abraham Lincoln High School 5/8/03, New Traditions School 5/14/03, Abraham Lincoln High School 5/21/03, Philip & Sala Burton High School 7/21/03, James Denman Middle School 10/8/03, Visitacion Valley Middle School 10/17/03, and Sunnyside Elementary School 10/22/03.

So why should we care? Why would anyone oppose an anti-drug campaign for the children of San Francisco? Being against Scientology in our schools is not the same as being for drugs -- though I assure you many Scientologists think that is exactly the case. We should oppose this group's open access to our public schools because 1) while there is no obvious religious message in Narconon's presentation, the objective of Narconon is to curry positive favor for L. Ron Hubbard's ideas, using beliefs not facts, and thus recruit people to both Narconon programs and the center of the Hubbard universe, Scientology; 2) this group is fundamentally dishonest: Narconon's drug programs have not been demonstrated to be effective by any scientific study. Yet they tout fantastic success, even using celebrities like Scientologist Tom Cruise to repeat this unfounded nonsense. Worse still, this drug treatment may in fact present considerable health risks to those undergoing the "treatment."

You would think these two reasons would be enough to end our school district's connection to this group. Yet I was shocked to learn that the district's initial response was instead to add the web site which uncovered this information to the "filter" list of the school district's proxy server! In other words, you could not access this site on the internet through the district computers if they were configured to use the proxy server. The web site, stop-narconon.org, was created by a Carnegie Mellon professor, whose anti-Narconon work is coordinated with a Member of the British Parliment! What's going on here? Why are people trying to hide this information?

This requires an immediate investigation by this Board. Access to our public schools to Narconon should be suspended until that investigation is completed. Finally, public notice -- and perhaps an apology -- should be made to the community and especially to the families whose children were unwittingly subjected to Narconon's, and L. Ron Hubbard's, meaningless drivel.

I recommend you do further research on the events that led to this at stop-narconon.org. You may have to do it at home, though."

Some notes: a) The above is what I would say, but I'm in Los Angeles. If you said it in San Francisco, you should make sure you are well versed to answer questions that may arise. b) I suspect the proxy server issue is the footbullet DST was referring to, but I can't be sure. Make sure you have the facts, whatever they are, straight. This info is currently on stop-narconon.org. c) I seem to recall Chris Owen is a MBE, but you should confirm that before using it.