COUNSELING BY CLERGY OK'D IN WILSONA DISTRICT.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Wilsona School District trustees will allow local clergy to work as volunteer counselors for students at Challenger Middle School in an after-school program.

The proposal, made by the Lake Los Angeles Ministerial Association, had originally been proposed to operate during school hours and resulted in a divided board, with opponents questioning its religious overtones.

``I didn't feel comfortable with it. I felt more comfortable with it as an after-school program,'' said trustee Gayle Duns, who was the sole dissenter in a 3-1 vote at Thursday's board meeting. ``With religion being such a touchy subject, the school could get itself into a lot of trouble.''

The proposal had resulted in a split 2-2 vote at a January board meeting, with trustees Sharon Toyne and Maurice Kunkel voting in favor of the idea, and Duns and trustee Michael Brown voting against it. Trustee Frank Donaldson was absent at that meeting. On Thursday, Brown was absent.

The district's legal counsel advised against the program, and an attorney from the state Department of Education said the proposal in its original form, appeared to be illegal, saying it came close to ``religious advocacy.''

Supporters said counselors would not promote religion but would offer help to students who requested it.

``I thought it would be worthwhile giving it a try,'' Kunkel said. ``Anytime you've got concerned people in the community that want to volunteer their time and effort to help kids, before you tell them you can't do it, I would like to see a good, solid reason not to do it. It's another avenue of trying to help kids.''

Toyne said many students attend the churches that would be involved in the program and would feel comfortable talking to local ministers.

``Sometimes kids don't want to talk to teachers. If we save one student's life, then it's worth it,'' Toyne said. ``It's not trying to push any religion. I don't believe in pushing religion.''

Assistant Superintendent Mary Gerard said Friday she would meet with Joe Ward, assistant pastor of Twin Lakes Community Church, to work out the format of the after-school program, which could be implemented before the end of the school year.

Students can stay after school to talk with a chaplain, and can ride home on the late activity bus, a school report states.

As with all after-school activities, parents must give permission for students to participate, Duns said.

Of the eight to 10 people who spoke to the board at Thursday's meeting, only one or two said they were opposed to the program, Gerard said. One person said religions other than Christianity should be represented in the program, Gerard said.

In a survey, parents appeared split on the proposal. Of the 600 surveys sent out, 90 were sent back: 31 supported the idea, 24 opposed it, eight said they approved it only with parental consent, and 27 said they needed more information to make up their minds.

At a community meeting in March, of the approximately 40 people who attended, 90 percent said they were in favor of the program, Toyne said.

Under the original proposal, each volunteer counselor would be a clergy member of a local church and would be trained to deal with youths who have drug problems.

The proposal also called for volunteers to ``be tactful and considerate in their approach to all people, regardless of race, sex, creed, or religion.''

The counselors would have been available and accessible to students at lunch time and by referral any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The counselors would not wear clerical clothing.

``The campus chaplain should be available to any student to assist in any crisis situation the student is having,'' the proposal states. ``Campus chaplains shall also be available to students for any needs ranging from conversation to screening and referral for other services.''