Post by title1parent on Aug 27, 2008 6:02:22 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/1128185,2_4_AU27_EDIT_S1.article
Lying is the wrong way to seek a better education
August 27, 2008 BEACON Opinion
What does it say when the equivalent of every kid in an elementary school might be misrepresenting where they live in order to attend one school district over another? It tells you there's something terribly wrong with our public education system -- that parents will do anything, including lying, to avoid sending their kids to a school they deem inferior.
West Aurora School District officials report they are investigating 400 cases of students whose residency is in question. At least 200 more students opted not to come back to the district this year amid residency questions. That's 600 kids who may -- or may not -- have legitimate claims to being current or future Blackhawks.
As we mentioned on this page earlier this year, this deceit is important to stamp out because each student illegally enrolled in the West Aurora School District costs money, which is paid largely by in-district residents who recently voted to increase their taxes.
We understand there are circumstances like that of Nathan Cavada, featured in a story we reported Tuesday, that can make the district's policy appear onerous. Cavada is the boy who hasn't been allowed to enroll at West even though his mother says she moved her kids out of their East Side home following a split with her husband.
It's tough to tell who is in the right here when the school district isn't commenting on the specifics of the case. We hope district officials are relying on provable evidence to withhold admission, rather than just neighborhood hearsay. In handling these investigations, the district must act as a court, leaving room for reasonable doubt. After all, it's OK if a handful of students who shouldn't be enrolled are; it's inexcusable if just one student who should be enrolled isn't.
But the larger problem here is that West Aurora schools and the parents who illegally attempt to enroll their children have to do this at all. It speaks to the inequity among districts that share borders let alone the type of suburban versus inner-city inequity State Sen. James Meeks referred to in planning to bus Chicago kids to the affluent New Trier High School next week. This publicity stunt is meant to draw attention to the vexing school funding program.
We cannot agree with Meeks' tactics -- just as we cannot agree with the parents who use deception in an attempt to get their kids a better education -- but we understand their frustration.
Lying is the wrong way to seek a better education
August 27, 2008 BEACON Opinion
What does it say when the equivalent of every kid in an elementary school might be misrepresenting where they live in order to attend one school district over another? It tells you there's something terribly wrong with our public education system -- that parents will do anything, including lying, to avoid sending their kids to a school they deem inferior.
West Aurora School District officials report they are investigating 400 cases of students whose residency is in question. At least 200 more students opted not to come back to the district this year amid residency questions. That's 600 kids who may -- or may not -- have legitimate claims to being current or future Blackhawks.
As we mentioned on this page earlier this year, this deceit is important to stamp out because each student illegally enrolled in the West Aurora School District costs money, which is paid largely by in-district residents who recently voted to increase their taxes.
We understand there are circumstances like that of Nathan Cavada, featured in a story we reported Tuesday, that can make the district's policy appear onerous. Cavada is the boy who hasn't been allowed to enroll at West even though his mother says she moved her kids out of their East Side home following a split with her husband.
It's tough to tell who is in the right here when the school district isn't commenting on the specifics of the case. We hope district officials are relying on provable evidence to withhold admission, rather than just neighborhood hearsay. In handling these investigations, the district must act as a court, leaving room for reasonable doubt. After all, it's OK if a handful of students who shouldn't be enrolled are; it's inexcusable if just one student who should be enrolled isn't.
But the larger problem here is that West Aurora schools and the parents who illegally attempt to enroll their children have to do this at all. It speaks to the inequity among districts that share borders let alone the type of suburban versus inner-city inequity State Sen. James Meeks referred to in planning to bus Chicago kids to the affluent New Trier High School next week. This publicity stunt is meant to draw attention to the vexing school funding program.
We cannot agree with Meeks' tactics -- just as we cannot agree with the parents who use deception in an attempt to get their kids a better education -- but we understand their frustration.