WESTMINSTER – Parent Claudia Zaragosa says she worries that her daughters won't be able to get free lunches at their school because of a decision three school board members made.

"Whatever happens, they just need to settle this mess soon," said Zaragosa, a parent at Schmitt Elementary.

DeMille Elementary parent Barbara Jansen says it's ridiculous for a state law to allow boys to dress like girls in public schools. So she admires three Westminster school board members for defying that law amid an avalanche of public pressure.

Meanwhile, college student Leo Nguyen is marveling over how something as seemingly simple as defining whether a child is a boy or girl has divided his community.

"This is the most exciting thing to ever happen in sleepy Westminster," he said. "You couldn't have written a better script."

The controversy over how Westminster School District should define "gender" in its anti-discrimination policy has launched a recall effort, placed millions of school dollars at risk, and prompted a lawmaker to push for the state to take over the district.

On Wednesday, state officials were still reviewing whether a definition of gender that the school board adopted Monday complies with state law.

Despite this week's spring break, the issue remains the community's top talker, triggering discussion at coffee shops, parks and neighborhoods about money and morals, and who gets to decide the place for each in public schools.

For weeks, board members Judy Ahrens, Blossie Marquez-Woodcock and Helena Rutkowski have refused to adopt a state law that defines gender as "a person's actual or perceived sex." They have said the state definition is immoral because it would allow students and district employees to define their own sex.

If the school board does not adopt the state's definition in the district's anti-discrimination policy, state Superintendent Jack O'Connell has threatened to keep from the district up to $10 million in state and federal funding, which pays for small classes, programs for low-income students, special education and other services.

The three women, a board majority, adopted their own definition Monday that defines gender as "a person's biological sex."

Westminster school board meetings have become the place to be in recent weeks, with hundreds of parents, teachers and residents cramming the boardroom each session to demand the three board members adopt the state definition.

Some parents say they can see how the state definition, which was crafted after lobbying by gay-rights groups, could be misinterpreted. But these elected officials are blurring the line that separates church and state by injecting their personal beliefs into a public school district's policy, these parents say.

"How dare these women try to throw their personal beliefs in the face of our children," Schmitt parent Sharon Smith told a friend, while they sipped coffee Wednesday at a Starbucks near Springdale Street and Westminster Boulevard. "As a parent, I have the right to teach my children about morality, not them."

Smith says she plans to join hundreds of other parents in an effort to recall Ahrens and Marquez-Woodcock, whose terms end in 2006. Rutkowski's term expires in November.

Veronica Zerrer, a transgender resident of Orange who has followed the debate, says transgender students and district employees would not feel protected with the definition adopted Monday because it may require them to identify themselves as something they don't feel they are.

The state's gender definition, which became state law in 2000, is intended to curb discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual students and staff.

Other residents and parents say the state definition is vague because the "perceived sex" wording does not specify whose perception matters, and they praise Ahrens, Rutkowski, and Marquez-Woodcock for adopting a definition that is more specific.

Resident Rudy Palmer believes state officials will back away from their threat to withhold money.

"Arnold (Schwarzenegger) has always said he cares about kids and schools," Palmer said. "He's not going to let (the state superintendent) take money away from children for something as silly as this."

Local politicians have also jumped into the debate. Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes and Westminster Councilman Kermit Marsh have said they support the three board members' stance, while state Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Santa Ana, and Westminster Mayor Margie Rice said the district should adopt the state definition regardless of anyone's moral beliefs.

Dunn plans to introduce legislation in the coming week that would call for the state to take control of the district.

Clegg Elementary parent Vicki Salcedo feels that the state law is immoral, but still wants the district to comply.

"I think the state's definition of gender makes no sense. I don't agree with it, and I would sign any petition or call any lawmaker to overturn this law," said Salcedo. "But it's the law, and it needs to be followed. It's that simple."

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL DISTRICT
• Campuses: 17
• Enrollment: 10,113
• Major racial/ethnic groups: Asian 33%, Hispanic 38%, white 22.5%
• English learners: 42.9%
• Students from low-income families: 62%
• Yearly budget: About $70 million
• Academic Performance Index (composite of test scores used to measure school performance): 726