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Show Viewpoint - Public school is best system By JACK HILL Public tax supported schools is the single most important idea that the early colonial settlers put into practice. Brigham Young and the first settlers in Utah confirmed their belief in the concept of public education by starting free public schools months after coming into Salt Lake Valley. Utah has been a consistent leader in public education. I believe in the public schools and know that students can and do get excellent education in today's secondary schools. I believe that the public school system must be preserved. No other single factor has given so many the opportunity to rise above circumstances in which they were b orn than has the system of tax supported free public schools. In Europe when the Pilgrims first ventured to this land, education was reserved for the "rich, well born and able." Those not born into that class had virtually no chance for rising out of the depths of ignorance and poverty. The 'rich, well born and so called able,' wanted that system to remain. Having a citizenery that couldn't read or write made it much easier to rule over the masses. Into this century many European countries were still excluding the poor from access to formal education. In America the public schools were first open to all white males and then all-whites. Even during that disgsraceful period of "separate but equal," blacks had better educational opportunities than the majority of young people in Europe. Integration is well on its way to eliminating discrimination in public schools in this country. Now certain advocates want tax credits for private school tuition so that the rich and well-born can get their kids out of public schools. Last week I gave my thoughts on what will happen if tax credits become a reality. Some of my teaching friends disagree but the majority agree that with tax credits most of the good teachers and good students will leave the public schools to go to private schools where, discipline and standards of behavior are effectively enforced; where the liberals who want no standards will not be able to do their destructive work. Rather than see the public school system drained of talented teachers and students I think it is time to reassert re-assert discipline in the public schools, especially in the high schools, by: 1. Giving the principal the authority to take the disruptive students out of the classroom and put them into a tightly controlled "in school suspension." Sluffers, habitual latecomers and those that refuse to go to the "in school suspension" must be taken out of the school so that those who want to learn, can. 2. Return to the closed campus concept where students are not allowed to use cars during hours school is in session. 3. Adopt a strict attendance and tardy policy that affects credit and grades with a minimum number of days of attendance required for credit and graduation. 4. When a student completes his graduation requirements and starts to miss school or goof off, he or she should be handed the diploma and dropped from school. 5. If assemblies are held dur; school time, all students should" required to attend and demons:; appropriate behavior. One of the greatest needs s teenagers have is to learn to. where they are supposed to i when they are supposed to be lit and be on time. I After 20 years of discifc erroding court decisions, tin pj dulum is swinging back to the 3 ; of common sense. The majorij) tax payers want good efletf public schools where discipEniij fact. That same majority waii: '. preserve American public icfe and they realize just how imps' and valuable they are to outuj j and nation.' , i Schools cannot be changed t ,t more money or programs. Bull f can be changed for the beted: students and community with II philosophical return to discipb R the school. " Only fools will continue to ttf & that letting high school studesi what they want to do is good' " them or society as a whole. " ' I) |