A crowd of Upper St. Clair parents and students showed up at the school board's academic committee meeting last night to support the district's International Baccalaureate program, which the board is considering cutting.

More than 600 pupils in the high school, the middle school and Streams Elementary School are enrolled in the program, which administrators and teachers praised as being even more rigorous than the Advanced Placement curriculum. They said the program further differs from the rest of the curriculum in its strong international focus and emphasis on community service.

School directors who proposed cutting the program said they were concerned about its cost and the values espoused. But a number of parents and students took issue with committee Chairman Daniel Iracki's statements that the curriculum "smacks too much of relativism" and conflicts with "Judeo-Christian values." On the contrary, they said, IB teaches pupils how to think critically about other countries.

Kim Frenette, whose daughter is in the program, said that, besides making pupils deeper thinkers, it helps them work together better instead of breaking up into cliques. She and several other residents said they chose the district because of the IB program.

At its meeting Monday , the board will vote on whether to continue the program. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the large group instruction room, 1825 McLaughlin Run Road.