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MARTHA REEVES et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants,
v.
ROCKLIN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT et al., Defendants and
Respondents.
No. C036977
In the Court of Appeal of the State of California
Third Appellate District
(Placer Super.Ct.No. SCV-7373)
APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Placer County,
John L. Cosgrove, J. Affirmed.
COUNSEL
David L. Llewellyn, Jr., for Plaintiffs and Appellants.
Duncan, Ball & Evans, Mathew D. Evans, Bridget C.
Halvorson Georgann Johnston and James B. Carr for Defendants
and Respondents.
Filed June 10, 2003
CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION [FOOTNOTE *]
In this matter we decide whether members of the Sanctity
of Human Life Network (SOHLNET) have the right to come onto the
campus of Rocklin High School to distribute anti-abortion, pro-abstinence
literature to students before class. Because a high school is
not a college campus or public forum, we conclude that the school
administration may constitutionally limit access by outsiders,
regardless of their message or purpose, in order to prevent disruption.
Plaintiffs Martha Reeves, Harry Reeves, John Ficker,
and Murray Lewis, are members of SOHLNET who sought to distribute
anti-abortion and pro-abstinence literature on the grounds of
Rocklin High School as students arrived in the morning. The principal
of the high school refused to let them do so. Instead, SOHLNET
distributed its pamphlets on nearby public streets.
Plaintiffs then filed a complaint seeking injunctive
and declaratory relief against the Rocklin Unified School District
(RUSD), asserting that the school's regulations concerning access
to the high school campus violated their constitutional rights.
After a bench trial, the court upheld the validity of the regulations
and entered judgment in favor of defendants.
Plaintiffs appeal. We affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
Approximately 15 members of SOHLNET, including plaintiffs,
planned to distribute anti-abortion literature to Rocklin High
School students on May 26, 1998. At 7:00 a.m. that morning, the
group met with their attorney, Dana Cody, in a nearby shopping
center parking lot to plan their strategy. They decided that
plaintiffs would distribute leaflets and talk to students at
two on-campus locations, the student parking lot and the bus
drop-off point, while others distributed literature on a nearby
street. The group planned to leave the high school at 7:45 when
the first bell rang for class.
Attorney Cody advised the group that state law required
them to register in order to be on campus. At approximately 7:15
a.m., as the SOHLNET group arrived at the high school, plaintiff
Murray Lewis and Cody went to the school office to register.
They spoke briefly to the assistant principal, Steven
James, and told him they were there to "leaflet" on
campus. James looked briefly at their leaflet, and said that
any permission to register would have to come from the principal,
Phillip Spears. The administrators were aware SOHLNET had attempted
to gain access to the campus the year before. At that time, the
group had videotaped students and tried to pass out literature,
and the police had to be summoned.
Principal Spear told Cody and plaintiff Lewis that they
did not have legitimate business on campus and would not be allowed
to register. Spear was concerned about potential disruption of
the school's normal routine and possible safety problems associated
with having unsupervised outsiders mingling with students. He
told them to leave the campus, and a police officer working at
the school directed the group to the public street.
By 7:30 a.m., plaintiffs and the other SOHLNET members
had stationed themselves on Stanford Ranch Road. They carried
large anti-abortion placards, and handed out literature to drivers
and students. Traffic was backed up nearly two miles. One SOHLNET
member repeatedly pushed the pedestrian signal in order to stop
cars. Another stood on a median until directed to the sidewalk
by a police officer. Another member, carrying a large poster,
obstructed the sidewalk, requiring students to walk in the street
to avoid being confronted with the leaflets. A police officer
diverted a group of students who appeared to be intent on confronting
SOHLNET members. Many students were late to class.
Thereafter, Cody wrote to the school superintendent
to ask for a hearing and to seek permission for future access.
The superintendent met with Cody on June 1 and discussed the
matter. Cody did not receive any formal communication resolving
the question of access to the campus nor did she pursue the matter
with the school board.
Instead, plaintiffs filed a complaint, asserting that
the school's refusal to allow them to register and to have access
to the campus violated the constitutional rights of SOHLNET's
members. After a bench trial, the court entered judgment in favor
of defendants. The court determined that school officials acted
reasonably in refusing access to plaintiffs, noting: "Common
[sense] dictates that the purpose of our high schools is to educate
our youth in a safe environment under the direction of trained
professionals preparing them for adult life in the work force
or continued college education. It is hard to imagine how this
purpose can be advanced by a barrage of special interest groups
using the high school campus to advance their own viewpoint as
noble as the cause may be. Surely, equal time must be granted
for opposing viewpoints." The court added that administrators
had "a reasonable basis to believe the visitors[' ] presence
would be disruptive," and rejected plaintiffs' claim that
only conduct that was physically disruptive and unlawful under
other statutes could be deemed "disruptive." The court
also rejected plaintiffs' claims that the school's registration
policies and procedures were otherwise unconstitutional or deficient.
This appeal followed.
Discussion
I
Statutory Scheme and Rocklin Unified School District Policies
In order to place plaintiffs' claims in the proper context,
we review the relevant statutory scheme and the policies of the
RUSD.
In 1982, the California Legislature enacted chapter
1.1 of title 15 of part I of the Penal Code, a comprehensive
scheme relating to access to school premises. (Stats. 1982, ch.
76, § 1, p. 228.) The Legislature decried the fact that
violent crimes on public school grounds are often committed by
outsiders unauthorized to be on the premises (Pen. Code, §
627, subd. (a)(1), (2), (c) [further undesignated statutory references
are to the Penal Code]), and further stated that "[s]chool
officials and law enforcement officers, in seeking to control
these persons, have been hindered by the lack of effective legislation
restricting the access of unauthorized persons to school grounds
and providing appropriate criminal sanctions for unauthorized
entry" (§ 627, subd. (a)(3)).
The Legislature declared that this new statutory scheme
was intended to "safeguard the teachers, other employees,
students, and property of public schools." (§ 627,
subd. (b).) This provision continues: "The Legislature recognizes
the right to visit school grounds for legitimate nonviolent purposes
and does not intend by this enactment to interfere with the exercise
of that right."
Section 627, subdivision (c) further provides in relevant
part: "It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this
chapter to promote the safety and security of the public schools
by restricting and conditioning the access of unauthorized persons
to school campuses and to thereby implement the provisions of
Section 28 of Article 1 of the California Constitution which
guarantee all students and staff the inalienable constitutional
right to attend safe, secure, and peaceful public schools. It
is also the intent of the Legislature that the provisions of
this chapter shall not be construed to infringe upon the legitimate
exercise of constitutionally protected rights of freedom of speech
and expression which may be expressed through rallies, demonstrations,
and other forms of expression which may be appropriately engaged
in by students and nonstudents in a campus setting."
To meet these safety concerns, section 627.2 provides:
"No outsider shall enter or remain on school grounds during
school hours without having registered with the principal or
designee, except to proceed expeditiously to the office of the
principal or designee for the purpose of registering." An
"outsider" is defined as anyone other than a student,
parent or guardian of a student, a school district employee or
officer, a public employee required to be on school grounds,
anyone on school grounds at the request of the school, a representative
of a school employee organization engaged in representational
activities, an elected public official, or certain media personnel.
(§ 627.1, subd. (a).) "' School hours' extend from
one hour before classes begin until one hour after classes end."
(§ 627.1, subd. (c).)
Section 627.4, subdivision (a), a statute of particular
importance in this case, provides: "The principal or his
or her designee may refuse to register an outsider if he or she
has a reasonable basis for concluding that the outsider's presence
or acts would disrupt the school, its students, its teachers,
or its employees; would result in damage to property; or would
result in the distribution or use of unlawful or controlled substances."
Subdivision (b) of this statute further provides: "The principal,
his or her designee, or school security officer may revoke an
outsider's registration if he or she has a reasonable basis for
concluding that the outsider's presence on school grounds would
interfere or is interfering with the peaceful conduct of the
activities of the school, or would disrupt or is disrupting the
school, its students, its teachers or its other employees."
It is a misdemeanor for a person to enter or remain
on school grounds without having registered, after having been
denied registration, or after registration has been revoked.
(§ 627.7, subd. (a).) However, these criminal provisions
"shall not be utilized to impinge upon the lawful exercise
of constitutionally protected rights of freedom of speech or
assembly." (§ 627.7, subd. (b).)
A person whose registration was denied or revoked may
request a hearing before the principal or superintendent. This
request must be made within five days, and the hearing must be
held within seven days of receipt of the request. (§ 627.5.)
This statutory scheme thus has two areas of focus, student
safety and the protection against disruptions. Other statutes
afford similar safeguards. For example, Education Code section
32211 authorizes a principal to request that an outsider (that
is, someone who is not a student, parent of students, employee
or officer of the district) leave public school grounds if that
person's continued presence "would be disruptive of, or
would interfere with, classes or other activities of the public
school program." (Ed. Code, § 32211, subd. (a).) Section
626.7 similarly provides for the removal of an outsider who "is
committing any act likely to interfere with the peaceful conduct
of the activities of the campus or facility of a public school."
RUSD adopted "Board Policy 7007" and "Administrative
Procedure 7007" to address the same safety and operational
concerns. Board Policy 7007 "encourages parents/guardians
and interested members of the community to visit the schools
and view the educational program" and directs the superintendent
to establish procedures to facilitate visits. The policy further
directs: "To ensure the safety of students and staff and
avoid potential disruptions, all visitors shall register immediately
upon entering any school building or grounds when school is in
session."
Administrative Procedure 7007 outlines the mechanisms
to meet these policy objectives. It provides: "Each person
(excludes currently enrolled students, employees of the school
District, or other individuals performing services as per agreements
with authorized District representatives) desiring to visit a
school during school hours must secure permission upon arriving
on the campus from the school principal/designee for the visitation."
High school hours extend from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
This administrative procedure further provides that
"Any person other than the following is considered a visitor
and required to register upon entering school premises during
school hours: . . . [¶ ] 1. A student of the school, unless
currently under suspension; [¶ ] 2. A governing Board Member
or district employee who is required to be on school grounds,
or any authorized person who is on school grounds at the District'
s/school's request."
Administrative Procedure 7007 outlines the process for
registration and reiterates the provisions of section 627.4,
stating: "The principal or designee may refuse to register
any visitor if he/she reasonably concludes that the visitor's
presence or acts would disrupt the school, students, or employees;
would result in damage to property; or would result in the distribution
or use of a controlled substance. The principal or designee or
school security officer may revoke a visitor's registration if
he/she was a reasonable basis for concluding that the visitor's
presence on school grounds would interfere or is interfering
with the peaceful conduct of school activities or would disrupt
or is disrupting the school, students or staff."
The policy concludes: "Any person who is denied
registration or whose registration is revoked may appeal to the
Superintendent or designee by submitting within five (5) days
a district complaint form and by following the District's complaint
procedure (Administrative Policy 7216). The final segment in
the appeal process is for the Board of Trustees to consider the
appeal."
Administrative Policy 7216 specifies that if a complainant
is not satisfied with the superintendent's decision, the matter
may be appealed to the board of trustees, which may decide to
hear or not to hear the complaint.
II
Access to School Premises and Registration
Requirement
Plaintiffs assert that because they sought to come onto
the Rocklin High School campus for the legitimate purpose of
distributing literature, school officials were required to give
them permission to register to be on campus. We disagree.
Plaintiffs emphasize the Legislature's express intent
that the school access statutes not be interpreted as contravening
constitutionally protected rights. They point particularly to
section 627, subdivision (c), which notes, in part: "It
is also the intent of the Legislature that the provisions of
this chapter shall not be construed to infringe upon the legitimate
exercise of constitutionally protected rights of freedom of speech
and expression which may be expressed through rallies, demonstrations,
and other forms of expression which may be appropriately engaged
in by students and nonstudents in a campus setting."
(Italics added.)
This reference to nonstudents, plaintiffs argue, means
that they have the right to register for the purposes of distributing
literature on campus.
The statutes do not lend themselves to such an interpretation.
That a restriction on access to a high school campus shall not
be construed to infringe on the legitimate exercise of constitutional
rights merely begs the question as to the scope of those constitutional
rights. Nothing in any of these statutes authorizes unrestricted
access to school grounds for outsiders seeking to disseminate
information relating to societal issues of the day. While there
may be times when nonstudents can "appropriately engage"
in forms of expression "in a campus setting," (for
example, when attending campus events to which the community
has been invited), nothing in section 627 or related statutes
suggests that school officials must permit outsiders to register
and enter campus grounds. Indeed, as we discuss at greater length
below, the entire statutory scheme, with its emphasis on school
safety and the avoidance of disruption of the school, compels
a contrary conclusion.
In support of their claims, plaintiffs cite three cases:
Braxton v. Municipal Court (1973) 10 Cal.3d 138 ( Brax
ton), People v. Hirst (1973) 31 Cal.App.3d 75 ( Hirst),
and Mandel v. Municipal Court (1969) 276 Cal.App.2d 649.
Each is readily distinguishable from the situation before us.
Braxton construed another statute, section 626.4, which
restricted access to a university, an institution which Braxton
noted serves the "time honored role . . . as [a center]
for free intellectual debate." ( Braxton, supra, 10
Cal.3d at p. 149.) As we explain, the high school setting of
the present case does not involve such a forum, and consequently
the rules articulated in Braxton do not apply. Additionally,
the statute at issue in Braxton was far broader than that
implicated in the present case. Section 626.4 was held to apply
not only to outsiders, but also to students and their own First
Amendment rights, and therefore gave rise to concerns distinct
from those we face here. (See Braxton, supra , 10 Cal.3d
at pp. 144-151.) Indeed, the opinion in Braxton focused
on the potential application of the statute to students. ( Id
. at pp. 144, fn. 2, 146-151.)
Hirst and Mandel narrowly construed a
criminal proscription against loitering on school grounds, a
statute that, again, covered any person and did not distinguish
between students and outsiders. (See § 653g.) Hirst and
Mandel also predate the federal cases that establish different
parameters for public and nonpublic forums. Moreover, we note
that Hirst is actually in line with the RUSD policies,
as it concluded that "those who are not students and are
not otherwise engaged in the normal operations of a school must
be subject to such regulations governing a school and its property
as the Legislature or the school administration may impose."
( Hirst, supra , 31 Cal.App.3d at p. 84.) The court clarified
that school authorities have the right "to forbid handbilling
on school grounds by persons who are not students, teachers or
administrators, or, if it be permitted, to control it as to time
and place, or as to the character of the message, so long as
discrimination does not result from the presentation of only
one side of a possibly controversial subject." ( Ibid
.)
Finally, in recognition of the times in which we live,
we note that all three of these cases were decided in a more
innocent era, before school age children began to be singled
out for violence by outsiders and before the need for school
access laws became evident.
In claiming that outsiders must be given access to high
school campuses for the purpose of distributing literature, plaintiffs
fail to recognize that school campuses are not public forums.
As the United States Supreme Court has explained: "The
existence of a right of access to public property and the standard
by which limitations upon such a right must be evaluated differ
depending on the character of the property at issue." (
Perry Ed. Assn. v. Perry Local Ed. Assn. (1983) 460 U.S.
37, 44 [74 L.Ed.2d 794, 804] ( Per ry).) In public areas
traditionally devoted to assembly and debate, i.e., in public
forums, "the government may not prohibit all communicative
activity. For the State to enforce a content-based exclusion
it must show that its regulation is necessary to serve a compelling
state interest and that it is narrowly drawn to achieve that
end. [Citation.] The State may also enforce regulations of the
time, place, and manner of expression which are content-neutral,
are narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest,
and leave open ample alternative channels of communication. [Citations.]
"A second category consists of public property
which the State has opened for use by the public as a place for
expressive activity. The Constitution forbids a State to enforce
certain exclusions from a forum generally open to the public
even if it was not required to create the forum in the first
place. [Citations.] Although a State is not required to indefinitely
retain the open character of the facility, as long as it does
so it is bound by the same standards as apply in a traditional
public forum. Reasonable time, place, and manner regulations
are permissible, and a content-based prohibition must be narrowly
drawn to effectuate a compelling state interest. [Citation.]
"Public property which is not by tradition or designation
a forum for public communication is governed by different standards.
We have recognized that the ' First Amendment does not guarantee
access to property simply because it is owned or controlled by
the government.' [Citation.] In addition to time, place, and
manner regulations, the State may reserve the forum for its intended
purposes, communicative or otherwise, as long as the regulation
on speech is reasonable and not an effort to suppress expression
merely because public officials oppose the speaker's view. [Citation.]
As we have stated on several occasions, ' " ' [t]he State,
no less than a private owner of property, has power to reserve
the property under its control for the use to which it is lawfully
dedicated.' " ' " ( Perry, supra , 460 U.S.
at pp. 45-46 [74 L.Ed.2d 804-805].)
The Supreme Court has emphasized the unique nature of
public forums. "[W]e noted that a traditional public forum
is property that has as ' a principal purpose the free exchange
of ideas.' [Citation.] Moreover, consistent with the notion that
the government--like other property owners--' has power to preserve
the property under its control for the use to which it is lawfully
dedicated,' [citation] the government does not create a public
forum by inaction. Nor is a public forum created ' whenever members
of the public are permitted freely to visit a place owned or
operated by the Government.' [Citation.] The decision to create
a public forum must instead be made ' by intentionally opening
a nontraditional forum for public discourse.' " ( Krishna
Society v. Lee (1992) 505 U.S. 672, 679-680 [120 L.Ed.2d
541, 550-551]; see also Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense
& Ed. Fund (1985) 473 U.S. 788, 802-804 [87 L.Ed.2d 567,
579-581].)
Given the well-established boundaries of this forum
analysis, it is not surprising that courts have found schools
to be nonpublic forums. For example, in Grattan v. Board
of School Com' rs of Baltimore City (4th Cir. 1986) 805 F.2d
1160, the court rejected plaintiff's claim that a school parking
lot is akin to a public sidewalk and is therefore a public forum.
Instead, the court characterized the parking lot as a nonpublic
forum because it was not a traditional place of public communication,
and it upheld the school district's right to deny a union activist
access to the lot. ( Id . at pp. 1162-1163.)In DiLoreto
v. Board of Education (1999) 74 Cal.App.4th 267, the court
characterized Downey High School as a nonpublic forum "as
a matter of law," and concluded that the Board of Education
retained the right "' to regulate access and content.' "
(Id. at p. 281.)
While we express no opinion on the question of whether
a Board of Education can regulate content, we agree that public
high schools are not public forums. Secondary schools have a
"special nature and function." ( DiLoreto v. Downey
Unified School Dist. Bd. Educ. (9th Cir. 1999) 196 F.3d 958,
968.) In Rodriguez v. Inglewood Unified School Dist. (1986)
186 Cal.App.3d 707, the court described school districts and
their students as having a unique relationship due to the "compulsory
character of school attendance, the expectation and reliance
of parents and students on schools and staff for safe buildings
and grounds, and the importance to society of the learning activity
which is to take place in public schools." ( Id .
at pp. 714-715.) The court therefore found that the district
had an affirmative duty "to take all reasonable steps to
protect its students." ( Id . at p. 715.)
California's statutes and constitution "clearly
demonstrate that schools are special places in terms of public
access. Given the constitutional direction that students have
a right to be safe and the legislative findings that outsiders
commit a disproportionate number of the crimes on school grounds,
access to schools is limited. Those who visit during school hours
must register and declare their identity and purpose. Those who
are asked to leave, whether or not required to register, must
do so or else be guilty of a misdemeanor. Those who repeatedly
return to cause disruption are also guilty of a misdemeanor."
( In re Joseph F. (2000) 85 Cal.App.4th 975, 984.) While
registration "would not be justified on a public street,
it is quite reasonable given the constitutional ' inalienable
right [of students] to attend campuses which are safe, secure
and peaceful' (Cal. Const., art. I, § 28, subd. (c)), and
the legislative finding that ' a disproportionate share' of crimes
on campuses are committed by outsiders (§ 627, subd. (c)).
Indeed, such registration both allows for the administrative
control of school grounds and serves as a deterrent to those
who would otherwise enter the school grounds with criminal design."
( In re Joseph, supra , at p. 987.) This
statutory scheme vests in school officials the authority to monitor
access to campuses and determine whether an outsider is likely
to commit a disruption. ( Id . at pp. 984-985.) And, as
noted earlier, the same concerns are evident in other statutory
provisions protecting against disruptions on public school campuses.
(E.g., § 626.7; Ed. Code, § 32211.)
In short, plaintiffs' assumption that schools are public
forums is without merit. Rocklin High School is a nonpublic forum
and, consequently, restricting access to its campus may, in proper
circumstances, be appropriate.
"Implicit in the concept of the nonpublic forum
is the right to make distinctions in access on the basis of subject
matter and speaker identity. These distinctions may be impermissible
in a public forum but are inherent and inescapable in the process
of limiting a nonpublic forum to activities compatible with the
intended purpose of the property. The touchstone for evaluating
these distinctions is whether they are reasonable in light of
the purpose which the forum at issue serves." ( Perry,
supra , 460 U.S. at p. 49 [74 L.Ed.2d at p. 807].)
Under section 627.4 and RUSD procedures, the school
principal can refuse to permit an outsider to register "if
he or she has a reasonable basis for concluding that believes
the outsider's presence or acts would disrupt the school, its
students, its teachers, or its employees; would result in damage
to property; or would result in the distribution or use of unlawful
or controlled substances." (§ 627.4, subd. (a).)
Again relying on Braxton, supra , 10 Cal.3d at
page 153 plaintiffs assert that "disruption" must be
defined as an act causing physical disruption by the commission
of an unlawful act. But, as we have already pointed out, Braxton
presented different concerns. It involved a different statute
-- section 626.4 -- which applies to both students and nonstudents
and thus gives rise to different constitutional considerations
because student conduct is at issue. And, as we noted earlier,
the restrictions in that statute affected a college campus, not
a high school. In that context, the California Supreme Court
held that, to avoid constitutional problems of vagueness and
overbreadth, "willful disruption" must be interpreted
to apply only to incitements to violence or physically disruptive
conduct otherwise proscribed by statute. (Braxton, supra, at
pp. 144, 148, 150, 153.)
This case does not involve the same considerations.
And in fact, the interpretation suggested by plaintiffs would
make the school access laws ineffective. To require that outsiders
be admitted to school campuses as long as their claimed purpose
was not otherwise illegal would pose serious safety concerns.
"Disruption" in the context of school access laws means
disrupting the normal activities of the campus. The California
Attorney General has commented: "School officials may deny
access . . . if the [individual' s] presence would interfere
with the peaceful conduct of the activities of the school."
(79 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 58, 62 (1996).) "Under First Amendment
principles, school administrators may reasonably regulate access
to school grounds and impose conditions so as ' to preserve the
property under [their] control for the use of which it is lawfully
dedicated.' " ( Id . at p. 64.)
And as one court noted in the context of a challenge
to a school dress code: "[D]aily administration of public
education is committed to school officials and . . . such responsibility
carries with it the inherent authority to prescribe and control
conduct in the schools. The interest of the state in the maintenance
of its education system is a compelling one and provokes a balancing
of First Amendment rights with the state's efforts to preserve
and protect its educational process. It is also well established
that the First Amendment does not require school officials to
wait until disruption actually occurs before they may act to
curtail exercise of the right of free speech but that they have
a duty to prevent the occurrence of disturbances." ( Jeglin
v. San Jacinto Unified School Dist. (C.D.Cal. 1993)
827 F.Supp. 1459, 1461.) "Because of state's interest in
education, the level of disturbance required to justify intervention
is relatively lower in a school than it might be on a street
corner and the Court may consider all circumstances confronting
the school administrators which might reasonably portend disruption."
( Ibid .)
Here, the statutes and the RUSD procedures place their
focus exactly where it should be, on the maintenance of a peaceful,
nonconfrontational environment for educational activities. The
school administration acted reasonably in determining that SOHLNET's
presence on campus would disrupt that atmosphere. In addition
to interfering with traffic and students as they arrived on campus,
SOHLNET's activities would require administrators and safety
officers to interrupt their normal early morning campus duties
to deal with these issues. (See In re Oscar R. (1984)
161 Cal.App.3d 770, 775.) Moreover, the facts in this case revealed
that SOHLNET's last attempt to gain access to the campus had
included videotaping students, which may well have intimidated
them. The present effort delayed student attendance and ran the
risk of confrontations with students.
"The Government's decision to restrict access to
a nonpublic forum need only be reasonable ; it need not
be the most reasonable or the only reasonable limitation. . .
. Nor is there a requirement that the restriction be narrowly
tailored or that the Government's interest be compelling. The
First Amendment does not demand unrestricted access to a nonpublic
forum merely because use of that forum may be the most efficient
means of delivering the speaker's message. [Citations.] Rarely
will a nonpublic forum provide the only means of contact with
a particular audience." ( Cornelius v. NAACP Legal Defense
& Ed. Fund, supra, 473 U.S. at pp. 808-809 [87 L.Ed.2d
at p. 584].) Here, plaintiffs in fact communicated with Rocklin
High School students, simply by moving to a nearby public intersection.
We emphasize that the record does not suggest the school
had created a limited public forum by allowing certain demonstrators
to use the campus. Nor is there any suggestion in the record
that the school has discriminated between types of demonstrators.
The only issue is whether the school is obligated to let outsiders
unaffiliated with the school pass out literature on school property.
Denying registration did not violate plaintiffs' constitutional
rights, and the trial court properly denied plaintiffs' request
for declaratory and injunctive relief.
III...........................
Disposition
The judgment is affirmed. Respondent is awarded its
costs on appeal.
HULL, J.
We concur: DAVIS, Acting P.J., KOLKEY, J.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: FOOTNOTE(S):::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FN*. Pursuant to California Rules of Court, rules 976(b)
and 976.1, this opinion is certified for publication with the
exception of part III.
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