Supporters of an on-campus rifle training program in the San Diego Unified School District persuaded the school board to hold-off eliminating the program. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
The school board voted to delay ending the district's Junior ROTC air-rifle training program until the end of this year. A couple weeks ago it voted to dismantle the program immediately.
The afterschool activity has been training teenagers how to shoot at on-campus firing ranges for decades.
More than 120 marksmanship cadets say the board's decision comes just as they gear up for state and national competitions.
Cadet Andrew Kelly says his teammates have been waiting for this moment since their freshmen year.
Kelly:
They've been practicing and practicing, and now they feel completely cut off at the knees. To not let cadets finish at least this year of training, learning the skill that they really relish, I think is something that is truly wrong.
Trustees say the students should see the season through, but they are sticking by their initial decision. The program came under fire after a group of teenagers complained it was sending the wrong message to young people.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
