From: elg@elgamy.jpunix.com (Eric Lee Green)
Date: 1 Jan 93 02:47:28 CDT
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Protecting children in Public Schools
Distribution: world
Organization: Eric's Amiga 2000 @ Home

From article <C03ILr.IFJ@SSD.intel.com>, by wang@ssd.intel.com (Wen-Lin Wang):
> As a parent I am curious about the school/parent relation here in the US,
> I wonder how much trust does the school system demand from the parents.
> How much can a parent question/request the school regarding to the
> curriculum, activities, policies without fearing that their children
> may get ostracised by the teachers?

I'm happy to listen to parent's concerns about the curriculum, activities,
policies, etc. active in my classroom. I even make changes from time to
time based upon parent feedback.

On the other hand, I *HAVE* had a problem with a parent who refused to
believe that his li'l darling did all the horrible terrible things that I
had documented in my files. I suspect my problem would be the same with a
parent who came to me and said that he was concerned because I used
Shakespeare in my class... I would say "I respect your concerns, but I feel
that I would be delinquent in my duty as a teacher if I did not introduce
my students to classics of English literature. What solutions can you come
up with besides banning Shakespeare from my class?"

If, on the other hand, a parent handed me an obnoxious letter that
basically said I needed to get parental permission to tell a child that
fighting is bad, I would politely say to such parent, "I'm sorry, I do not
feel that I can teach your child with this letter." I do not punish
children for the sins of their fathers, so I wouldn't ostracize the child
or anything of the sort. However, I would make it firmly known that I did
not feel myself capable of providing a free and appropriate education given
the constraints imposed by such a letter.

 How much info regarding those
> mentioned will be provided to parents initially by the school?  Are there
> big differences between private school and public school in those areas?

Public schools generally ship home a "code of student conduct" which lays
out how discipline will be handed, and don't send home any "policy"
information regarding other aspects of school (curriculum, etc.) unless
explicitly questioned by a parent.

Private schools differ. Some private schools are extremely flexible. Other
private schools basically make a parent sign a contract that says, "This is
what we're going to do with your child, if you don't cooperate or you're
obnoxious to the teacher, you are out of here." Under no circumstance would
a private school retain a child whose parent's attitudes were totally
incompatible with the attitudes of the teacher and the school at large.

> Are schools flexible on receiving suggestions from parents?

Some are, some aren't.

Is there
> such parental union/support-group that can force school to listen/consider
> other than the school boards?  Or, is this generally regarded proper
> attitude that parents should trust the school 98.75% and let their children
> weather it all out on their own?

There are advocacy groups willing to take on school boards. Said advocacy
groups generally represent a special interest group. There are two special
interest groups which especially influence school policy: the religious
right, and the parents of special education students. Thus Texas biology
textbooks no longer mention evolution at the 4th grade level, and special
education is slathered with rules and regulations to the point where a
"follow the rules" strike could be called (i.e., if those teachers followed
the rules slavishly, no educating could be done).

Most public school principals are VERY willing to listen to parents who are
members of one of those two special interest groups. Getting sued is no
fun. You'll find that they'll readily switch the kid to another classroom
the moment you bring up the name of an advocacy group and the possibility
of lawsuit. HOWEVER: if you go at it in a confrontational manner, you'll
get their gander up, and you may actually have to go through the time and
expense of a lawsuit. It's wise to stick to the facts. "I am unhappy. My
child's teacher is teaching him beliefs that I do not agree with. I would
like my child to be switched to another room." Then if the principal
disagrees, contact an advocacy group and get advice specific for your
school, school district, or state. Only then, at a second meeting, should
the possibilities be laid out for the principal: appeal to school board,
lawsuit in federal court, formal grievance procedures, or whatever.

A word to the wise, though: if the teacher is teaching the state-mandated
curriculum using state-adopted textbooks and it is those mandated things
that you are objecting to, switching rooms won't do the trick, and
complaining to the principal is futile (he doesn't have power over those).
The school is following the strict letter of the law in such a case, and
you would not have a legal leg to stand upon.

--
 Eric Lee Green  elg@elgamy.jpunix.com   Dodson Elementary
 (713) 664-6446                             Houston, TX
                "Kids are kids, no matter what"
Newsgroups: misc.kids