School Discipline Blame Game
Hooray for Mike Burns' column on school discipline printed in the Jan. 22 edition of The Sun for Harford County.
I retired from the Harford County schools after serving 30 years as a teacher, guidance counselor and an assistant principal. I worked at four high schools including Aberdeen, Bel Air, Fallston and Edgewood.
As an administrator, . . . I tried to be fair and consistent in my dealings with the students, parents and teachers. No matter what I did, I was at times, accused of being more lenient to minorities, more lenient to whites, more lenient to athletes and I can go on and on.
I feel that teachers and administrators, with few exceptions, are good role models and exhibit excellent values each day in our schools. It is time for parents to accept responsibility for teaching manners, honesty, respect and those values which are necessary for children to be good school citizens. Let's quit looking for someone to blame by the use of statistics and support the consequences of inappropriate behavior.
William F. Loper
Aberdeen
Sauerbrey's Stand
I am writing this to express my concern to the voters of Maryland who find it necessary to discredit Ellen Sauerbrey for challenging a system that has proven to have faults.
The voting system is not perfect. We know that, and fraud has been a problem in elections throughout history. . . . But since the election was decided over a margin of 6,000 votes, the issue now becomes a festering sore and it is multiplied tenfold.
Of course, Ms. Sauerbrey recently made her concession to Parris Glendening and has given up her quest to challenge the gubernatorial election. Nevertheless, the actions that she has taken since the November election have shown what a determined individual she is. . . . The way most people see it, Sauerbrey lost by 6,000 votes and now she should go home. . . . I see a different Ellen Sauerbrey, a politician who is committed, determined, decisive, willing to fight and a person who is not afraid to challenge a system to make sure that it keeps working. If there are problems with the system, and many including myself believe there are, if it is never challenged, the problems will remain. . . . Wake up, Maryland. The future of your state may have been unfairly tossed to Parris Glendening. The main reason I have decided to write this letter is because many Marylanders, regardless of who they voted for, see Sauerbrey on the news and then go on to comment that she is a sore loser and a typical politician. She is merely standing up for what she believes in. Isn't that one of the qualities of a strong politician? I applaud her actions and I think the state of Maryland deserves a strong dedicated governor such as Ellen Sauerbrey. Maryland is long overdue for the strong leadership that Ms. Sauerbrey has shown us.
Kevin B. Sams
Edgewood
Chapter I Cuts
As you know, the federal government's Chapter I funds are being reauthorized and will likely result in fewer Harford County schools being eligible for the Chapter I program. Meadowvale Elementary is one of the county schools which currently receives Chapter I funds and is likely to be cut from the program under the reauthorization.
Our PTA is very concerned about the serious impact that the loss of Chapter I funds will have on the education of our children. With these funds, Meadowvale has been able to have a home visitor program, a high intensity reading program and the support of five instructional assistants. The high intensity reading program, even though relatively new, has already had a very positive impact. The five instructional assistants have been vital to this success. The importance of being able to read is obvious, as is the importance of ensuring that every student gets the necessary help in learning to read. This loss of funding would be a major blow to our school's ability to provide individual attention to those who need it in this critical area.
We strongly urge your help in seeking funding from the county budget to replace the eliminated Chapter I funds and allow these successful programs to continue. Thanks for your consideration of our concern, and for any help you may be able to provide.
Chuck Heatwole
Havre de Grace
The writer is president of the Meadowvale Elementary School Parent-Teacher's Association.
Youth Hunting
I have been reading more and more articles concerning how other states and counties are taking action to promote and preserve our national heritage of hunting.
For example, feedback concerning a "Youth Only Hunting Season" has consistently been overwhelmingly positive with a high family turnout reported at each events. When run as part of a locally funded program, youth hunting has also been a highly successful sport for troubled teens because it teaches them to obey rules and places emphasis on the fact that weapons can be deadly when used incorrectly.
In line with some of these efforts, I would like to ask that our public officials of Harford County, in conjunction with the Maryland Division of Natural Resources, open a "Youth Only Hunting Season" for deer and other wild game. Such a season
should be opened during non-regular hunting season to minimize interference with the regular wildlife. . . . To help defray the cost of managing the youth hunt and acquire capital to purchase public hunting land, a modest $5 fee could be charged to participate in the youth hunt. Of course, we must never forget safety and must insist that all youth hunters complete a firearms safety course prior to hunting and that they be accompanied by an adult during the hunt who has also completed the course.
Given an opportunity, I firmly believe a youth hunting program will surprise many people in Harford County with its success.
Thomas E. Maloney
Bel Air
Wrong Message
I have written to President Clinton asking him not to cut taxes at all and, in particular, certainly not by issuing a $500 tax credit per child. Any tax cut is self-defeating since the Federal Reserve Board will only raise interest rates again to curb inflation. The savings could better be used to reduce the national debt. That is a more rational and longer lasting means of maintaining prosperity. . . .
As for tax credits per child, that is barely tolerable if it is limited to two children. Open-ending the tax credit is an invitation to disaster as well as a travesty to the world. . . . China, recognizing the immediate danger of population explosion, has moved to reward small families and penalize large families. We, supposedly the world leader in education, progress and humanity, are sending the wrong signal to the Third World. We are encouraging them to regress into stark poverty.
@Lawrence A. Battaglia
Edgewood