Show Letters to Editor 1 Do schools cooperate with parents j Dear Editor As a taxpayer and resident in the Granite School District I am shocked by the authoritarian attitudes of administrators administrators administrators ad ad- in public schools Recently when my childs child's fourth grade teacher refused to accept my note explaining his tardiness I went to the school to straighten it out I Iwas Iwas Iwas was told by the principal that the teachers had the right to penalize a child for tardiness arguing that a parental note meant little The teacher even justified his action by saying that the penalty was slight and that I had blown the matter out of proportion by refusing to allow my child to be punished for a situation beyond his con con- No punishment is too slight when it is not merited The principle of the matter far outweighs the degree of punishment When I suggested that perhaps perhaps per per- perhaps haps I might protect my child by keeping him home on occasions occasions occasions oc oc- oc- oc that tardiness could not be avoided he threatened to turn me over to the authorities The principal even went as asfar asfar asfar far as to say that perhaps we as parents cant can't promise our children that they wont won't be held responsible for things that are not their fault Since when do school administrators administrators administrators ad ad- have the right to tell parents how to raise their children Dont Don't the schools function in cooperation with parents anymore Or do they operate in open defiance of parental wishes thinking that parents have not the intelligence intelligence intelligence intel intel- to deal with situations in life that arise with their children It is a tragic step back from the Amer American can way if we permit permit permit per per- mit our lives to be manipulated manipulated manipulated by those who are elected and hired to serve us n n Signed Vicki McPhail 4 |