Not-So-Divine Comedy

Believe it or not, all these things happened (or are happening) in PISD schools:

• At Plano Senior High School, a Spanish teacher expressed his displeasure with the students by throwing objects at them - books, staplers, even desks. When one mom complained about the aberrant, violent behavior, she was told by the teacher "I only threw one desk," and by the school counselors, "Nobody's been hurt." So there's your standard in PISD. Nobody's been hurt. This teacher has since disappeared on some sort of "leave" - no word on why, but the smart money says it wasn't due to parent concerns. He should be facing criminal assault charges.
  
  
• At Vines High School, a semester-long substitute spoke primarily Chinese during classroom instruction. (Yes, you read that right.) When one mom, whose child's grades were suffering because the child did not understand Chinese, complained, the school principal refused to acknowledge that there was any problem at all. The superintendent told the mother she was a racist to complain. Only the threat of calling the television press convinced PISD to address this obvious problem. It should be fiction. Instead, it's your public schools.
  
  
• At Carpenter Middle School, students who violate the student dress code are sent to the dean's office to change. A common violation is shorts or skirts that do not reach past the fingertips. Whatever you think of this rule, you might agree with students who question why it does not apply to cheerleaders. According to Principal Diane York: "The girls are just showing their school spirit." According to many observers: The girls are showing a bit more than their school spirit.
  
  
• Following the shocking and cold-blooded murders in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a sixth grade English class at Carpenter Middle School was given a shocking assignment: to write an essay in which they confess to the killings, describe their motives, and tell how it makes them feel. This is utterly appalling and inexcusable. At least one licensed school psychologist has told the USP that it is a dangerous manipulation of pre-adolescent emotions, which could even contribute to some kids considering engaging in such violence.
  
  
• So you think you have no voice or influence in PISD? Our elected Board of Trustees passed "guidelines" to limit its own power in the fall of 1997. Some of these changes have been considered and rejected in the past. First, they eliminate individual Trustees' power to place an item on their own meeting agenda. Second, they limit the amount of time each Trustee may speak on a given agenda item. It's one thing to waive your own rights as an individual, but when elected officials waive their rights, they're selling out the entire community - and for what?
  
  
• You're in seventh grade, you have a ton of math homework, and you're sitting in homeroom - what should a responsible student do? The answer, at Carpenter Middle School, is color. That's right. With crayons - on sheets handed out by the teacher. You see, if you try to do your homework, you'll get a detention. Homework is for home, so don't even try to get away with that kind of stuff in our school.
  
  
• Middle and High School classrooms are set up to include such things as beanbag chairs and lamps, rocking chairs and perpetually dimmed lights. These things replace traditional desks and lighting to help cater to students "learning styles." Question of the week - do my tax dollars pay for the beanbags and rocking chairs?
  
  
• A Harrington Elementary father complained that a strange yellow dust in playground gravel, which undeniably left permanent stains on children's clothing, was also dangerous to their health. He requested only that the school replace the gravel. The district response? They paid for a study of the gravel by an independent lab in order to prove the parent wrong. That study cost more than new gravel. Whose interests were served?
  
  
• Better get your kindergartner to school on time! If not, you may find yourself in truancy court, sentenced to parenting classes and fined. Left unanswered: what disciplinary action is taken when bus drivers bring the children late? And how does PISD ever hope to deal with real discipline problems?
  
  
• In what is supposed to be an "environmental" fundraiser, a number of elementary schools, including Gulledge and Carlisle, raised funds with Human-i-Tees shirts. This organization exclusively funds left-wing political organizations, such as FAIR, whose main claim to fame is a much-publicized critique of Rush Limbaugh; the Foundation for Economic Democracy (the post-modern term for socialism); GAIN, which defines environmental progress as "all people hav(ing) their basic needs met for water, food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education..." and that falling short of this goal is due to the "dominant social, economic, and political systems in the world today." ; and a number of advocates and lobbyists for welfare recipients, the international feminist movement, and Zen Buddhist homeless shelters. You may or may not support those causes - they are not environmental.
  
  
• At Hedgecoxe Elementary, students were paired off into couples to learn about families. The pairings included same-sex marriages.
  
  
• For Black History Month, Harrington Elementary posted photographs of prominent black Americans (role models?), including O.J. Simpson.
  
  
• Also at Harrington, children were asked each morning during "Earth Week" to observe a "moment of silence" for the earth. (School prayer, anyone?)
  
  
• At Robinson School, second graders were asked to raise funds for the environmental advocacy group World Wildlife Fund. (Would they allow classroom fundraisers for any other political groups - say, the NRA?)
  
  
• At the Outdoor Learning Center, children are instructed to look into a hollow log to see "The Most Dangerous Animal on Earth." What's in the log? A mirror. (Whatever happened to self-esteem?)
  
  
• Parents! Stop worrying! According to PISD documents, you look to school counselors to "lead the way" in meeting your child's social and emotional needs.
  
  
• At Gulledge Elementary, teachers address students as "friends." As in, "Friends, line up at the door." Whatever the motivation for this absurdity, the only result is corruption of the English language. Children know who their friends are, and who their teachers are. They also know the difference, even if their teachers don't.
  
  
• Also at Gulledge, P.E. classes often pit boys against girls in competive sports. There's a catch: the rules are rigged to give the girls an almost insurmountable advantage. Now, what sort of message does that send to the girls?
  
  

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