'Kids Vote' Project Needs Better Follow-Up
I am writing in regards to the "Kids Vote" program that was instituted in Harford County this past election. There was a lot of encouragement for the students to participate in this program.
I am the parent of three students ranging in grades from kindergarten to the eighth grade. I made sure any questions my children had concerning voting, making choices and the actual voting process were answered. In fact, my daughter did some extra credit work for her sixth-grade class on the background of some of the candidates.
There was so much hoopla surrounding this program. It received considerable press from both radio and television. My children realized this really was very important. Their schools had them register and select a party. Mom's party choice was the default since a thorough explanation was a bit beyond their years.
On Nov. 8, my children were so excited about fulfilling their duty and going with their parents to vote. We went to Bel Air High School.
Upon registering at the door, the registration cards that had been returned to them the previous Friday by their teachers were affixed with a sticker.
They were then told that since they had voluntarily participated in "Kids Vote," they would receive extra credit in school. They were given instructions and went to the booth to complete their voting cards. Upon completion of exercising this important right, we all left feeling very proud.
Wow, thought my children, voting must really be important if we are going to be recognized for doing it. Well, at the end of the next school day I asked my children what kind of questions their teachers asked about their experience and also how many of their classmates had participated in "Kids Vote."
I was astonished when they told me that the teachers did not want the registration cards returned to them. In fact, the previous day's election wasn't even discussed. To top it all off, they were told that the person at the voting booth was incorrect and there was no extra credit earned for their participation in Kids Vote 1994, Harford County.
I hope I can make my children understand the importance of voting regardless of their experience with the misinformation and the lackadaisical attitude exhibited by the schools on the voting process follow-up.
!Brigitte A. Tankersley
Bel Air
Drug Education
On behalf of the Bel Air Middle School Parent-Teacher Association and the Bel Air Police Department, we are proud to announce that the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
program has again been made available to our sixth-grade students.
D.A.R.E. consists of a 17-week curriculum designed to build self-esteem in young people and teach them the skills they need to lead drug-free lives. This program also teaches students how to resist pressure to use drugs and contributes to: greater respect for police officers, improved study habits, better grades, building student's interpersonal and communications skills, and decreased vandalism.
Last year, graduates of the D.A.R.E. Program received T-shirts purchased with donations solicited by the Bel Air Police Department and the Bel Air Middle School PTA. These T-shirts are enjoyable to wear and much appreciated by the students.
The D.A.R.E. Drug Awareness T-shirts are presented by Sergeant Baxter from the Bel Air Police Department at the completion of this program.
We are once again asking for your donation to help defray the expense of purchasing the D.A.R.E. T-shirts for approximately 500 students at $4 per shirt.
Donations may be made to: D.A.R.E. America, c/o Bel Air Middle School, 99 Idlewild St., Bel Air, MD 21014.
Sgt. Wendell Baxter
Terry Troy
The writers are respectively the Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer in the Bel Air Police Department and the president of the Bel Air Middle School Parent-Teacher Association.