Mary Johnson can remember the day when she crossed over the line from private citizen to community crusader. In 1996, police arrived at her apartment complex in South Gate and harassed her and her neighbors and then threatened to arrest Johnson's 12-year-old daughter.

The next day, she wrote up a petition calling for an end to police harassment and the sight of dope dealers and cockroaches in her apartment complex. Later, she rallied 200 of her neighbors at a city council meeting and triggered a dramatic chain of events that led to tenant forums, meetings with city, police and public health officials and citations for the owners of her complex for violating health ordinances.

The complex was later sold to new owners who made repairs and even built a playground.

But with all that she's achieved, Mary Johnson isn't quite ready to step back over the line to become an anonymous citizen again.

Today Johnson is rallying behind another, more far-reaching cause: educational reform. She has joined with other community activists -- parents and schoolteachers -- to rally behind the Students' Bill of Rights, put together by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA) in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.

"This is such a rich country -- no kids should be without a quality education," Johnson said. "I don't care what his or her status, nationality or income is. Every kid should be able to read; every kid should be able to have a book, cafeteria, a gym -- all the things that are missing in our community. Every kid deserves this."

The Students' Bill of Rights, a list of 10 basic rights that ensure that all California students receive a quality education, includes the right to adequate facilities, learning materials and resources, quality teachers and a safe and supportive school environment.

The idea to develop an educational Bill of Rights came from activists and representatives from grassroots groups who attended a conference organized by IDEA last year. IDEA then developed ways to involve the community in a movement that is taking the bill before the California Legislature this spring for consideration. The online journal sponsored by IDEA, "Teaching to Change LA," offers articles, readings and other resources on the Web to help teachers and students learn more about the Students' Bill of Rights. Along with other parents from Lynwood, South Gate, Inglewood and Santa Monica, Johnson meets monthly with John Rogers, creator of the online journal, to discuss readings on each right and to prepare research and write articles on the bill.

This month's issue of the journal, for example, focuses on the students' right to quality teachers and the high number of noncredentialed teachers in Los Angeles County, where at least 30% of the teachers in nearly 300 elementary schools are under-prepared.

"The problem facing Los Angeles County is acute, far worse than anywhere in the state," said Rogers, associate director of IDEA. "In areas like East and South Los Angeles, Compton and Lynwood, the majority of children are taught by teachers who are not fully credentialed."

For the journal, Johnson interviewed Assemblymember Marco Firebaugh, D-Cudahy, and Rep. Juanita Millender- McDonald, D-Carson.

"The progress of our community and children depends on the people who represent us in Congress and Sacramento," Johnson said.

The Students' Bill of Rights can be seen at http://tcla.gseis.ucla.edu/rights.