The Sacramento Bee, November 27, 1984
TEEN 'INMATES' GO STIR CRAZY - ENCINA HIGH STUDENTS PROTEST CLOSED CAMPUS
By Elizabeth Fernandez
   Prison garb was the attire of the day at Encina High School on Monday. At
noontime, the lone holdout in the San Juan district for open lunch periods
formally shuttered its gates, and administrators were commissioned to waylay
students trying to decamp.
   For entrenched youngsters, the new black steel gates symbolized
unreasonable shackles to school and prompted them to don apparel that
was appropriate for the occasion. "We're in a jail," said Lisa Nunziato, a
16-year-old junior otherwise identified as number 121765 by a white placard
pinned to her borrowed purple scrubbies. "It's just like prison here."
   About a dozen students participated in the protest by wearing numbers and
Encina State Penitentiary stenciled or penned onto T-shirts and sweatshirts.
More students had been expected to join in, but the holidays intervened.
When they first announced the closed campus, a lot of people planned to
dress as prisoners, Nunziato said with a shrug. "Then Thanksgiving came and
we were out of school."
   In recent years, high schools in the San Juan Unified School District
have adopted closed-campus policies at lunchtime - often at the request of
nearby residents. Encina High in the Arden-Arcade area was the exception,
with teachers and parents contending that freedom of dining is essential. No
longer. Administrators and teachers recently decided to save the school's
1,300 kids despite themselves.
   "I've always strongly supported an open campus in the past," said English
teacher Gail Pierce. "This year, however, a closed campus is a necessity
because of the dangers to the students. It seems that they have more contact
with outside forces. At the beginning of the year, students were being
brought back after drinking at lunch. And just seeing 50 kids walk across
Arden without regard for their safety bothers me. Maybe we're just
protecting them from themselves."
   As a result, a half-dozen administrators and teachers will play warden to
prevent students from sneaking off the campus. The penalty for such an
offense is a three-day suspension. At the same time, the school is launching
a counterplan to encourage steady attendance: students who miss fewer than
12 classes a quarter will earn a special pass for assemblies and discounts
at ball games. Furthermore, to preoccupy students at noon, activities such
as chess and Trivial Pursuit soon will be held in available classrooms.
   Still, students complain that the cafeteria is unduly taxed by a full
load despite the installation Monday of 20 picnic-style tables. Maximum
dining occupancy is 570, and some students threatened to call the Fire
Department if that point was reached. It wasn't on Monday, but students
grumbled anyway.
   "They shouldn't be able to close the campus without giving us a smoking
room," said junior Deshaun Laws. "Going off campus was a chance to smoke. I
smoke after every meal, and I'm not going to quit. They'll have to suspend
me."
   The closed-campus policy was equally unsettling to nearby restaurants,
notably McDonald's on Arden Way. Employees said business slid downward
without the students Monday. They also said Encina youths presented no
problems at the establishment.
   Administrators said the student despondency is sure to abate in time. "I
know they'll be grumbling because they can't leave, but I think things will
settle down," said counselor Linda Holmes.
   Youthful gripes about Encina extend beyond the lunch hour, however.
They go all the way to the school walls, now being coated with layers
of paint. In the process, numerous cherished, student-designed murals
were covered. "They're creating a sterile environment by putting in a
uniform color," said junior Tom Howie. "It's been proven that lab animals
concentrate better in a colorful environment. Murals help out the learning
process just a little bit. They create diversity and boost spirit. It's hard
to boost spirit in a tan environment."