Public Schools Are Not Political Artists
May 15th 2010 12:37
Since when has our public school system been given the responsibility of making political decisions and statements? Where is the right of public school administrators to violate the rights of the students because they find something to be politically incorrect in their judgment? Have these administrators been emboldened by the National Education Association? Is this a trend we can expect to see in the future where administrators sacrifice the educational and athletic endeavors of the students in order to make political statements? It seems Highland Park High School in Illinois has stepped across the line by canceling their girl’s basketball team trip to Arizona.
What a shame to use a high school girl’s basketball team to make a political statement! District Superintendent George Forneo said, "under long standing constitutional law, all school districts are required to provide an education to all children within the District's borders regardless of immigration status." It is Forneo’s job to see that the law is followed in his district; it is not his job to use the girl’s basketball team to protest what another state does with its law.
In order to get out of the political hot seat the district now finds itself in, it is saying the trip was canceled in part due to safety issues of traveling from Illinois to Arizona in light of the new immigration law. Problem with that argument is the same school is sending students on educational jaunts to such places as China and South America.
It seems this was a decision made at the top of the administration chain without input from the school board, parents, team or students. One parent, Michael Evans said of the decision and some of the statements made by administrators, "I'm not sure whose values and what values and what beliefs they're talking about. We were just going to Arizona to play basketball and our daughters were very disappointed to find out the trip had been canceled." He went on to say, "The school has sent children to China, they've sent children to South America, they've sent children to the Czech Republic, but somehow Arizona is more unsafe for them than those places. The beliefs and values of China are apparently aligned, since they approved that trip."
The school district issued a statement stating, "We cannot commit at this time to playing at a venue where some of our students’ safety or liberty might be placed at risk because of state immigration law." Statements such as this will only increase violence and make it less safe for other events and schools such as the tournament the Illinois team was scheduled to participate in. By making a political statement, the issue will play into the hands of those protesting what has been federal law all along. It is not like Arizona has all of a sudden created a law of its own; it is only attempting to fulfill the responsibilities of the federal law that the federal government refuses to meet and the only way to do it was by creating a state law that mirrors federal law.
The law is not intended to hurt innocent people. Those who are legitimate citizens of the US have nothing to be concerned about and those who are here illegally are breaking the law. It is a sad day when the legitimate citizens of the US are being made out as “people who are acting illegally” and those who are here illegally “are the ones whose rights are being violated". There is something very wrong with this picture, and unfortunately, school administrators such as those in Illinois are helping to paint it. Frankly, it is a piece of counterfeit art.
What a shame to use a high school girl’s basketball team to make a political statement! District Superintendent George Forneo said, "under long standing constitutional law, all school districts are required to provide an education to all children within the District's borders regardless of immigration status." It is Forneo’s job to see that the law is followed in his district; it is not his job to use the girl’s basketball team to protest what another state does with its law.
In order to get out of the political hot seat the district now finds itself in, it is saying the trip was canceled in part due to safety issues of traveling from Illinois to Arizona in light of the new immigration law. Problem with that argument is the same school is sending students on educational jaunts to such places as China and South America.
It seems this was a decision made at the top of the administration chain without input from the school board, parents, team or students. One parent, Michael Evans said of the decision and some of the statements made by administrators, "I'm not sure whose values and what values and what beliefs they're talking about. We were just going to Arizona to play basketball and our daughters were very disappointed to find out the trip had been canceled." He went on to say, "The school has sent children to China, they've sent children to South America, they've sent children to the Czech Republic, but somehow Arizona is more unsafe for them than those places. The beliefs and values of China are apparently aligned, since they approved that trip."
The school district issued a statement stating, "We cannot commit at this time to playing at a venue where some of our students’ safety or liberty might be placed at risk because of state immigration law." Statements such as this will only increase violence and make it less safe for other events and schools such as the tournament the Illinois team was scheduled to participate in. By making a political statement, the issue will play into the hands of those protesting what has been federal law all along. It is not like Arizona has all of a sudden created a law of its own; it is only attempting to fulfill the responsibilities of the federal law that the federal government refuses to meet and the only way to do it was by creating a state law that mirrors federal law.
The law is not intended to hurt innocent people. Those who are legitimate citizens of the US have nothing to be concerned about and those who are here illegally are breaking the law. It is a sad day when the legitimate citizens of the US are being made out as “people who are acting illegally” and those who are here illegally “are the ones whose rights are being violated". There is something very wrong with this picture, and unfortunately, school administrators such as those in Illinois are helping to paint it. Frankly, it is a piece of counterfeit art.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Clearly, though, the school belongs in China or some other 3rd world country so their value system and beliefs won't be endangered by a bunch of laws.