Del Mar Heights families, teachers rally for rebuild

Del Mar Heights School parents, students and teachers held a “Stand Up for the Heights” rally on Del Mar Heights Road on Saturday, Oct. 24. The group aimed to bring awareness to and protest the lawsuit filed against the school rebuild project by the Save the Field community group.

About 150 people came and went during the two-hour rally, including current and former Heights staff and students, and San Diego and Del Mar City Council candidates. One student’s poster read: “Don’t be cruel, rebuild our school.”

Demonstrators on Del Mar Heights Road.

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Del Mar Union School District continues to pursue a coastal development permit for the rebuild and said they have faced further city review due to the litigation, including the requirements for the installation of trees and sidewalk improvements on Mira Montana, a sewer study and conditional use and site development permits.

The community group Save the Field filed suit in June, arguing that the district must prepare a full environmental impact report for the rebuild that properly describes the project, analyzes its impacts and considers alternatives to reduce those impacts. The group has also spoken out against the loss of playing field space at the new school.

A court hearing is set for Nov. 18.

Demonstrators in the Heights rally.

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The new Heights campus was intended to welcome students in August 2021 but the district has said it is more likely they will phase students into new classrooms in the 2021-22 school year. The parent group Education First, who organized the protest, would like to stop the litigation before it causes further delays or draws funds away from the students and districtwide improvement projects.

The “Stand Up for the Heights” rally on Del Mar Heights Road.

(Courtesy)