Student responsibility

Dear Editor:In last week's paper, Barbara Samperi, who is on the school board, said that one of our problems is our slightly declining enrollment. ("3 on School Board to Run Unopposed," 8/14/09) I had a student in Downey High School. There were around 4,000 students. That's too many. Martha Sodetani, also on the school board, said, "I'm more tolerant now of giving a student a second chance rather than taking a punitive approach when, he/she, say, is caught doing something wrong…" It's not a matter of being more tolerant. When there are 4,000 students, the rules are broken all the time and no one cares. When students are dropped off at school, as soon as the parent drives away students walk away from school. When the automated call home to parents is working to report the truancy, it tells the parents to call school. When parents call the school, there is no consequence for the truancy. Parents are told the students have so many second chances and the consequences don't come when all the second chances are used up. School administration blames poor parenting and school rules are not enforced. - El Bee, Downey

********** Published: August 21, 2009 - Volume 8 - Issue 18