Thread: Third Latino/Black School riot this year in LA

Public education in Texas now is a total writeoff. The reasons are many but I'll tell you one story. We live in a relatively upscale area of Texas and are friends with two families who considered litigation against the school district. They tell of an impersonal, politically connected system with virtually unlimited legal defense funds. A lawyer joined this conversation and described his experiences with our system. He confirmed the hopelessness of suing our school district and recommended against it because unless privacy is violated or someone is libeled in some way, these lawsuits have little basis. In his experience, clients expended mountains of cash with little resolution. In my friend's case, the most he could hope for was an immediate return of his kid to regular classes (from expulsion), but that action had already been ordered by the principal. Everyone agreed that no school official would ever provide any written documentation, particularly the type which would exonerate the kid. If you have a squabble, the only reasonable option is to just go away.

This guy has lived in the same home within this ISD for 25 years, always paid his taxes and always supported the public school system. He deserved better treatment. His kid had two acts of tardiness but no proof of what they expelled him for. In concert with administrators, they found the kid to be guilty only of sneaking out of their home in the middle of the night and associating with undesirables. He was accused of using drugs but the tests were negative. The boy was totally exonerated by a fairly extensive investigation but school administrators simply refused to say "oops" or "we made a mistake" or "we're sorry." Now his reputation is trashed and he's lost his right to participate in sports. My friend believes his family has been squashed by the heavy hand of an intransigent bureaucracy that cares only for its own survival. He's now very bitter because he was forced to walk away from an unfair decision that harmed his child beyond polite description.

So you see, there are many reasons other than riots, illegal aliens, muslims and poor quality to dismantle the public education system. We'd all be better served if the states would terminate school taxes and require all children of US citizens to be educated to some defined degree. It's time to let government govern and private educators educate. There will be differences in school quality, naturally but isn't that the case today. I see a system where a student can attend inexpensive general classes from one school in the morning and expensive chemistry classes in the afternoon from a different but specialized school. Of course, communities would continue to have competitive sports, cheerleading, drill teams and academic clubs. We already have a glut of those things outside the public education system now. Think of it. No bureaucracy. No riots. No rule-breaking. No government headaches. No tax administration. No one to blame but yourself.

Of course many of us now also are no fans of public education. At least with the voucher system, we won't be paying to educate illegal aliens. And if the muslims wanted a different curriculum or prayer time, they could attend a muslim school or one that accommodates them. The opportunities are unlimited for students and for private educators.

Tom, its pretty much the same story here. I guess its all over.