Shivas wrote:Now that the Wanda thread has worked its way over to something I finally know something about let me add this. Any type of vouchers for private schools, schools of choice, or anything else that allows the movement of students to whatever type of school, in my opinion, is no more than a class and economic segregation. Families that can afford to transport their children can and will take advantage of this choice to what they perceive as "better" schools. The families that cannot will be left at their neighborhood school. Good or bad. Any private school that accepts federal, state or local monies (read vouchers) is a public school and provide public education in my opinion.
People who support vouchers are in reality are supporting a return to segregated schools. Civil rights activists like King, Parks, Marshall, and Evers fought for years and sacrificed their lives to level educational opportunities for all people, of all races, of all socio-economic classes. The Brown v. Board of Education case summed it all up. On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren read the decision of the unanimous Court:
"We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does...We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment."
Substitute class for race and you get my drift.
I don't know the answer, but I sure know a bad idea when I see it.
I don't see it that way. I think that if you see a school that omits children based on race, than you have grounds for investigation. But somewhere, I have to draw the line when you suggest that parents that can't afford to get their children to a place of education is anyone's fault but those parents. Don't think of the term fault as to say blame, I don't mean it that way... but what you are illustrating here is the very core of the problem in public schools... You are suggesting that chaining all of the children together in a failing system is better over all for everyone. To that I say BULLSHIT! If a parent cannot transport their child to a place of education, then it is up to them to either make the sacrifice to find a way, or to keep their kids in the state run school that they are currently in. I do not think that it is too much to ask that a parent do something to contribute to the development and well being of their children... They are, after all, their responsibility.
