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Parents press Duarte Unified board to delay vote on allowing MIT students into DHS athletics; board tables item
Summary
Several parents asked the board to postpone action on a CIF multischool membership application that would allow MIT students to participate in Duarte High School athletics, citing disparities in schedules and a lack of community outreach. Supporters from MIT argued for inclusion; the board voted to table the item and seek wider input before finalizing.
Parents at the Duarte Unified board meeting urged trustees to postpone action on a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) multischool membership application that would allow students from MIT to compete on Duarte High School teams.
"They’re not going to be following the same curriculum ... for eight hours compared though they have for four hours," public commenter Susana Parina told the board and asked that any vote be delayed until parents received more information and clarity about how MIT students would be integrated into DHS athletics.
Other parents — Gilbert Guerrero and Patty Navareti among them — asked that the district survey athletes, parents and coaches and provide additional outreach before the board acted. Navareti said she opposed implementation of the application as presented and emphasized perceived differences in graduation and credit requirements between the programs.
Students and parents from MIT also spoke. MIT student Johnny Torres said the schools should not "separate talent and opportunity by school boundaries," and MIT parents and representatives argued inclusion would strengthen teams and create unity.
Board members debated transparency and the need for broader input. Board member Mr. Reyes objected to approving the item without more community outreach; other trustees said a survey and additional parent engagement would be appropriate. District staff noted an application deadline of May 31, and administrators agreed to try to add the matter to a special meeting on May 30 if the board wanted additional public input before that deadline.
The board voted to table item 13.28 (the CIF multischool membership application) and directed staff to gather input from parents and the transition team; the tabling motion was moved by Mr. Reyes and seconded by Dr. Finley and carried with the board voting in favor.
Next steps the board discussed included distributing a survey to high‑school parents and working through the district transition team to collect additional feedback before any final vote.
The board did not approve or deny the CIF application at this meeting; it instead postponed action to accommodate further outreach and to meet any applicable CIF filing deadlines.
