District declares awning unsafe

An $8,000, 20-by-40-foot awning meant to give shade to Pee Wee, Mighty Mite and Midget football players at Costa Mesa High School sits in a school district storage shed this week, unused, the center of a heated battle between school administrators and parents.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District workers tore down the awning Sunday afternoon after a struggle with Pop Warner football parents over whether the structure would stay or go. Administrators said the awning was erected illegally without the school district’s permission. Angry parents said they don’t understand why the school district won’t compromise for the sake of their children. The awning has also dredged up resentments between Costa Mesa parents and the school district.

“My 8-year-old son is having a hard time understanding why the school would want to tear it down,” said Steve Mensinger, a Costa Mesa Pop Warner board member. “This never would happen in Newport Beach because they’d be afraid all the soccer moms with money would complain.”

Administrators gave Pop Warner organizers until Monday to remove the awning, but school district staff took the structure down Sunday afternoon to avoid a confrontation with parents, who had threatened to alert the news media and protest the removal.

“It was very clear by 4 p.m. Sunday that they were not going to take it down themselves, and we didn’t want to subject our staff members to that sort of abuse for taking it down,” said Tim Marsh, administrative director for support services at Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

More than 200 children ages 5 to 15 enrolled in Pop Warner Football practice three times a week at the field at Costa Mesa High School. The awning was erected this summer to shield children from the hot sun during practice. The nonprofit football club has spent thousands of dollars improving the athletic facilities at the school with no previous complaints from the district, Pop Warner Costa Mesa President Ron Nugent said.

“When we wanted to improve the field there, it was, ‘As long as you pay for it, then go ahead,’” Nugent said.

Nugent said he asked the school district if the awning could be kept up until the end of the football season, but officials were unwilling to compromise.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials said the club never asked for permission to put up the structure. Pop Warner organizers maintain they got the go-ahead on the project from a principal who recently transferred from Costa Mesa High School to another school in the district.

State law requires new structures on school grounds be approved by the Department of State Architect. The law has been in place since the 1920s, to protect schools from liability for structures that don’t meet state safety standards, Marsh said. If the school district were sued, higher damages could be awarded if the structure was not approved by the state.

“They just showed up and installed it,” Marsh said.

The awning’s metal legs would be considered a safety hazard in an earthquake by state regulations, Marsh said. The awning cannot be put back up because it would not meet state safety standards, he said.

The structure also was installed during school hours without proper security clearance, Marsh said.

“We take many security precautions with our contractors, to the extent that they all have to be fingerprinted, but these people just showed up during school hours,” Marsh said.

Some parents said they feel Newport-Mesa officials tend to bend the rules more often for Newport Beach parents.

“This is indicative of a deeper issue here,” Mensinger said. “Costa Mesa schools are on the decline because we’re treated as an afterthought to Newport Beach. That’s why parents don’t want to send their kids to school here.”

Many parents contacted Nugent to express their anger with the school district when they learned the awning was to be taken down, Nugent said.

“This would have never happened at Newport Harbor ... they have better representation there and can fight for what they want.” Nugent said.

Marsh laughed off the suggestion.

“If they would have come to us ahead of time, we would have been happy to help them with the process,” Marsh said.