At the age of twelve, these kids eventually came to the right decision and took the correct action. A little counseling, a little praise and congratulations to them for finding their way to doing what was right, was all this situation needed. But this wasn't good enough for school officials. It was the actions of the adults, not the kids, which led to the public outrage. Too many of our public schools have become institutions of bureaucratic stupidity.
Violence erupts every day in public schools, but is accepted and usually handled in routine fashion.
Perhaps it is time for clarification. We, the parents, don't want any civil rights leaders traveling the country to impose their will on school authorities. We also don't want to send our children to unsafe, loosely regulated educational institutions where less than half of the graduates are adequately prepared for academic success at a four-year university. Finally, we want common sense and reasonable approaches to extraordinary circumstances instead of knee-jerk reactions. Please be advised that we, the parents, taxpayers and voting public, are truly the ultimate authority over school officials.