I Would Tell You that Bill Walker Is a Nutter....
....but he'd probably sue me if I did. So I won't say that Bill Walker, sue happy attorney, dipper into the public trough, and candidate for Mayor of Little Rock, is a nutter for suing the Little Rock School District for kicking his daughter off the cheerleader squad over behavior issues.
Walker says that his daughter is ADHD, so the school district should make modifications to the standards for the other cheerleaders.
Now if a child really needs some special adjustments in the way they are taught in order to have a reasonable chance to learn the mandated curriculum, then I am all for it. Cheerleading is not a part of that package though, and even in the classroom different standards for discipline are the road to chaos, not education. Changes in the way they are taught or tested are one thing. Lower standards for behavior are another. If they can't (or won't in most cases) behave according to the same standards the other students must adhere to then they need to be removed from that setting.
I'd sure want to try good old fashioned discipline before I moved them out of the classroom or put them on Ritalin though. Some parents might disagree and their will should be honored, but not at the cost of good order and discipline for the others.
This case is a good example of what is wrong with education. Fear of lawsuits drives the entire process. No politician is willing to address the real problem, which is that teachers have responsibility in the classroom without being granted the authority to fufill that responsibility. This flaw often goes mostly unexposed for years, because parents with the strong sense of entitlement and hudspah of Walker were once rare. As they become more common, teachers will find it impossible to teach and find that they will be forced to placate, not educate.
Walker says that his daughter is ADHD, so the school district should make modifications to the standards for the other cheerleaders.
Now if a child really needs some special adjustments in the way they are taught in order to have a reasonable chance to learn the mandated curriculum, then I am all for it. Cheerleading is not a part of that package though, and even in the classroom different standards for discipline are the road to chaos, not education. Changes in the way they are taught or tested are one thing. Lower standards for behavior are another. If they can't (or won't in most cases) behave according to the same standards the other students must adhere to then they need to be removed from that setting.
I'd sure want to try good old fashioned discipline before I moved them out of the classroom or put them on Ritalin though. Some parents might disagree and their will should be honored, but not at the cost of good order and discipline for the others.
This case is a good example of what is wrong with education. Fear of lawsuits drives the entire process. No politician is willing to address the real problem, which is that teachers have responsibility in the classroom without being granted the authority to fufill that responsibility. This flaw often goes mostly unexposed for years, because parents with the strong sense of entitlement and hudspah of Walker were once rare. As they become more common, teachers will find it impossible to teach and find that they will be forced to placate, not educate.
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Friday, August 18, 2006
3 Comments:
Now, instead of merely being a class legend, Walker is ensuring that the whole state knows about his crazy daughter.
She should sue him for that.
Section 504 and the ADA both require that public education programs make "reasonable accommodations" to enable persons with handicaps to participate effectively. However, after 30 disciplinary notices and at least one 10-day suspension, it is obvious that all parties are not doing due diligence in raising this child. Parents should have previously amended the 504 plan (if one is in place), the child should be in serious counseling (probably with medication) and the school and district must enforce public decorum even in the face of such disabilities. Parents are responsible for the rearing of their children; and if this child has no better concept of what is right and what is wrong, then the buck stops at the hand of the parent. I hope the lawsuit is found frivolous as it sounds. If there is no 504 accomodation plan, this looks moot to me.
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