SOLANA BEACH — Across North County campuses, public school officials say there is little ambiguity about where visiting student-athletes prepare for games: they either arrive dressed or use designated locker rooms and athletic facilities to change.
What school district officials describe as uncommon — and outside their own athletic policies — is the use of classrooms or auxiliary spaces as changing areas for visiting teams.
That distinction is now central to a class-action lawsuit against Santa Fe Christian Schools, filed and served last month by three student-athletes from Francis Parker School who allege they were secretly recorded while using a choir room during a basketball game at the private Christian school earlier this season.
In statements provided to The Coast News, officials from the San Dieguito Union High School District and the San Marcos Unified School District — neither of which is involved in the current litigation — said their practices are designed to separate instructional spaces from athletic use, consistent with CIF standards.
“Scheduling is coordinated in advance of each season, with game and practice schedules submitted ahead of time,” said Christine Lee, an SMUSD spokesperson. “Site teams then develop facility use plans to minimize conflicts, with games and contests typically taking priority over practices when space is limited. When hosting visiting teams, schools follow standard protocols to support a safe and organized experience.
“If locker room access is requested and available, it may be provided, with visiting team staff responsible for supervising their students. Schools also coordinate logistics in advance to support smooth operations. Our schools utilize designated athletic facilities for team use and do not use classrooms or other non-traditional spaces as locker rooms.”
After reviewing practices across the district’s five high schools, Edwin Mendoza, San Dieguito Union High School District’s communications coordinator, said the district follows similar standards.
“Athletic events are coordinated by school-based athletic departments that ensure appropriate scheduling, supervision, and facility use,” he said. “These practices are consistent with the expectations set by the California Interscholastic Federation and the CIF San Diego Section for safe, well-supervised athletic environments. In most cases, visiting teams arrive dressed and do not require locker room facilities. When changing is needed, it is limited to our sites’ visitor locker rooms, restrooms, or other designated changing areas intended for that purpose. Visiting coaches are expected to remain with their teams while on campus, and locker rooms are to be locked when teams are not present. Our district schools do not use classrooms or other instructional spaces as locker rooms.”
The lawsuit against Santa Fe Christian Schools centers on a different arrangement, alleging that visiting student-athletes were directed to a choir room to change into their basketball uniforms.
Ellen Adler, attorney for the Francis Parker students, said the students first learned they had been videotaped after Santa Fe Christian contacted Francis Parker administrators to report an “incident in the choir room that had created a mess.”
A spokesperson for Santa Fe Christian said school personnel reviewed classroom security video after becoming aware of “damage to the choir classroom” following the game, using it to determine what occurred before contacting visiting school administrators.
A spokesperson for Santa Fe Christian Schools said the choir room is occasionally used as a meeting space for visiting teams, while any changing is directed to nearby restrooms. The spokesperson added that security cameras are installed in classrooms throughout campus, but not in locker rooms or restrooms.
Citing pending litigation and privacy concerns, spokespersons for both Santa Fe Christian and Francis Parker declined to provide The Coast News with specifics about the extent of the alleged damage to the choir room.
At Santa Fe Christian, a spokesperson said that legal counsel is reviewing the matter and that the school was advised not to comment further outside the court process.
“At Francis Parker School, we believe our most important commitment is to the physical and emotional safety of our students,” Allison Kaufman, head of communications at Francis Parker School, told The Coast News. “We are saddened to learn of the situation involving Santa Fe Christian Schools and extend utmost empathy to the students and families throughout San Diego who have been affected. Schools must provide environments where student privacy is protected — a responsibility we take seriously in this challenging digital age.”
Kaufman declined to comment on whether any disciplinary actions had been taken against students in connection with the alleged damage to the Santa Fe Christian classroom.
Regarding other student-athletes potentially being videotaped while using the choir room as a makeshift locker room, Lee said San Marcos Unified School District is aware of the situation, but “at this time, we have no information to suggest that any of our students have been impacted.”
