Time to get more involved in day-to-day school needs

Dear editor:

The school bond is behind us, thank goodness. Perhaps the community can come together on the issues that plague our local educational system.

I have seen some of the problems, such as well-read books with taped pages or printing so faint it is almost illegible. Someone said their school would be unable to purchase new books if the bond did not pass. Truth or rumor?

I believe one of the reasons for the bond failure is the lack of transparency on the part of the school district and, perhaps, the school board. Rumors gallop through small towns and people reach conclusions.

Is it true that money for textbooks was included in the bond? Is it true there is a teacher who speaks openly about drug and alcohol use in the classroom and the talk is overlooked? Is it true the school district runs in the red? Why do we use expensive charter buses for our sports teams?

The junior high was built with expectations that it would become the high school at some point in time. The football field was moved there. So why was the gym not built to high school standards in the first place? I didn't even hear the school district say, "Oops!"

After reading a letter to the editor requesting more discipline at the junior high, I have reached the conclusion that discipline might be the answer, but make the punishment fit the crime and the age level, for crying out loud. Parents should listen to both sides of the story and misbehavior or noncompliance should have consequences, even when it hurts. Parents should not expect exceptions for their children who miss deadlines or break the rules. Principals or any authority should not allow themselves to be intimidated or bullied by adults who are intimidated and bullied by their own children.

Maybe it's time for the grandparents to step in and inundate the schools. Intimidating old folks is almost impossible. Grandparents don't hesitate telling others when they are out of line. Soap is still a good remedy for potty mouths. We can hover over the shoulders of lazy students and prod them. We can slow traffic in the halls by clogging them with our walkers. We can use our canes to thump kids who are out of line or trip them up when they are racing along the halls.

Gosh, it would feel good to be useful again!

Nancy Martin