A group of about 25 parents determined to recall two members of the Falcon District 49 school board came out of a meeting Saturday with a clear guiding principle on gathering signatures for their petitions: Keep it clean, keep it transparent and stay above the fray.

"We need to rise above and be better," said Tom Harold, one of the parents involved in the effort to recall Dave Martin and Kent Clawson. "It's 'be more transparent, more open than the board has been.' "

That means no harvesting signatures on school property.  Hewing to the law for gathering signatures. Being armed with solid answers to the questions that potential signers might have. And no getting into arguments with people against the recall.

"We want to keep it peaceful," said Charlotte Young, one of the organizers.

In addition to laying out guidelines for gathering signatures, the parents also worked on creating a strategy to maximize their efforts. They talked about using a texting tree to enlist the help of students who are registered voters, and setting up a system to track which areas each petition carrier is hitting.

"One thing we don't want is to have two people covering the same area," Harold said.

The parents seemed skittish about engaging D-49 employees in the effort, fearing that board members would target staff and teachers for retribution if they participate. In fact, some parents said, they were worried that board members would go as far as checking names on the petitions.

"They're afraid to even get an e-mail from us," said parent Jackie Vialpando. "There have been times when I've been talking to a staff member, and they'll walk away when a board member comes up."

In fact, one parent suggested a campaign slogan for the recall: "Stop the fear." But Judy Holman -- a former board member whose five children went to D-49 schools -- said it would be better to keep the focus on the students.

"These children, by leaps and bounds, are getting hurt because of what the board is doing to their education," said Holman, who no longer lives in the district but is supporting the recall group. "You want academic excellence, and you're not going to get it." The board, she said in an aside, is more focused on "the Republican Party and charter schools."

The recall effort arose out of the school board's plans not to renew the contracts of two popular high school principals, a decision that stunned parents and students, and the principals themselves. After parents and students protested en masse, the board decided to renew the contracts, with strings attached. Recall organizers say that was the tipping point in what they maintain has been a lack of transparency in the board's decision-making processes.

The recall group set its sights on Martin and Clawson, because their terms don't expire until 2011, but they also plan to fight the three other board members if they run for re-election in November.

The group has 60 days to get about 3,500 signatures for each board member, but organizers plan to get many more to make sure they have enough. After the petitions are turned in, the county has 10 days to approve them. If no formal protests emerge, the recall will be added to the November ballot.