KIDS GET INTO MINE FIGHT CITY, SCHOOL DISTRICT SENDING CAMPAIGN LITERATURE HOME WITH STUDENTS.

Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Lori Harter is used to finding stray pencils, wadded pieces of paper and even the occasional half-eaten snack in her daughter Lindsay's backpack.

But last week, while clearing out the third-grader's backpack, the Canyon Country resident found a red-and-black flier urging her to join the opposition to a sand and gravel mine planned in Soledad Canyon.

``I wouldn't have known about the mine otherwise,'' Harter said, waiting to pick up 8-year-old Lindsay from Mitchell Elementary School in Canyon Country. ``Anything that comes home in her backpack I look at very closely.''

That is exactly what city officials were hoping would happen when they asked Sulphur Springs School District officials to send children home with city-sponsored fliers warning of perceived dangers of the proposed mine.

``People think the mine is a done deal, and it's not even close,'' said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz. ``We need every advantage that we can get.''

The city also is using teen-age volunteers to pass out its literature about the mine at shopping centers and supermarkets in Canyon Country.

``One-on-one is the best way to get people motivated,'' Ortiz said.

City officials are leading the charge against the 460-acre mine and Transit Mixed Concrete, which wants to mine 73 million tons of sand and gravel south of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway between Soledad Canyon and Agua Dulce Canyon roads. School boards in the Santa Clarita Valley also have gone on record opposing the mine.

TMC officials said they they are concerned children were being exposed to only one side of the issue and that mine opponents were excluding the company's position from the discussion.

``We will be a good neighbor,'' said environmental affairs manager Brian Mastin. ``That's the message we've been trying to get out, and this doesn't make it any easier.''

Superintendent Robert Nolet said the district is not concerned that parents - through their children - are getting just one side of the debate. TMC argues that sand and gravel are needed to make concrete for the construction and public works industries.

``We'll consider passing out information from TMC if they want to submit something, but I can't say that we would,'' Nolet said. ``We've been consistent on this issue.''

The district allowed the city's fliers to be sent home because of its own opposition to the mine, which could derail district plans to build a new elementary school, Nolet said. One of the proposed school sites is a quarter of a mile from the mine, and officials are worried that the proximity would endanger children.

Class time isn't being taken away from core subjects such as reading and math to discuss the mine, but teachers are allowed to spend a reasonable amount of time responding to students' questions about the mine, Nolet said.

Both the city and the school district are appealing the federal government's approval of the mine. Opponents say the mine would harm the Santa Clara River, pollute the air and choke the freeways with traffic.

The State Education Code prohibits school officials and teachers from campaigning for school bonds, ballot measures and candidates in the classroom. The campaign against the mine falls within the discretion of the district, Nolet said.

Harter said she attended Wednesday night's anti-mine rally - along with at least 2,000 other residents - because of Lindsay's request.

``Her teacher told her to tell me to go,'' Harter said.''

Harter said Lindsay told her that her class has discussed the mine and its potential effects on their neighborhood.

``She knows more than I do,'' Harter said.

Mitchell Principal Judy Heyn said teachers often serve as a source of information for students.

``It only makes sense that students would be talking about this issue with their teachers,'' Heyn said. ``Everyone else in Santa Clarita is.''