LETTERS.Parental Penalties Right on Target C. STEPHEN WALLIS Assistant Principal, Howard High School Howard High School could refer to one of many schools, including:
The February issue featured a splendidly written article, "Legislating Parental Involvement." Author Priscilla Pardini graphically illustrated the pivotal importance of the shared partnership-the pareni/guardian and the school--in the continuing effort to improve student achievement and schooling. While there always will be those on both sides of the fence regarding the hot topic of legislating punitive measures on parents of incorrigible in·cor·ri·gi·ble adj. 1. Incapable of being corrected or reformed: an incorrigible criminal. 2. Firmly rooted; ineradicable: incorrigible faults. 3. students, it is nonetheless a reflection of the public's abject disillusionment with the state of American education. The article cites those who maintain there must be other, less heavy handed measures, yet we should not assume that city and state school systems that espouse legislation have not already tried numerous avenues to reach parents. Every school system believes (or ought to) that the education of its youngsters is a shared partnership. Many schools assist the home in parenting skills, identifying community resources, holding study skills sessions, sharing ideas for parental monitoring of homework, and the like. It takes intestinal fortitude, however, to make the tough decision that might require the assistance of the legislature if the end result is parents becoming more accountable for their children. Far more typical is an educational system that all too often fails to take this kind of action, and when it fails to act, the system becomes a kind of "enabler." As such, it can only stand by and observe its children fail repeatedly, due in no small part to an educational system that fails to act on behalf of its children. No Empathy Shown For Abuse Victims FRAN FRAN Functional Reactive Animation HENRY President, Stop It Now!, Haydenville, Massachusetts I appreciate your devotion of an issue to child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. in the schools (October 1994). The articles were worthwhile and held much information. However, as head of a non-profit group committed to stopping child sexual abuse, I found myself annoyed at the subtitle of the issue. "The Nightmare of Dealing with Sex Abuse Allegations" is perhaps apt for your audience, but it is a poor choice of words Noun 1. choice of words - the manner in which something is expressed in words; "use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton phraseology, wording, diction, phrasing, verbiage for the student victims of sexual abuse. A more accurate subtitle to empathize em·pa·thize v. To feel empathy in relation to another person. with victim might be "Dealing Responsibly to Protect Students from Sexual Abuse." This concern also ran through the articles. Each focused on the beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. administrator, so you missed the opportunity to educate readers about the painful experiences of being abused as a student and the often painful legacy that the student carries throughout school and into adult life. Charol Shakeshaft did the best job of this--but a sidebar about the victims would have added a lot. |
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