Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509250006
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARSHALL OVERSTREET
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Montgomery County school system should be applauded for its commitment to providing a safe haven for our children in which to learn. In any environment where there is a mentor, boss, parent, or teacher, whether it is in a family, business or school, there must be well-understood guidelines under which the group operates. Children must understand that infractions will be met with disciplinary action.
Our school system has done just that with its revised for '95 "Student Code of Conduct," yet it has failed miserably in meeting the needs and desires of Montgomery County.
This document was read to all students during the school day. Both of my children reported back that the reading was met with a cold shoulder interrupted only by laughter at the sheer quantity of wording, the redundancy, and explicitness.
My 12-year-old son said, "Dad, I could have written that in three or four sentences," and then joked that nuclear devices were not included in the list of prohibited weapons.
I shudder to think of the time and expense in preparing and printing such a document, plus classroom time wasted in presenting it.
Insulting and demeaning are the two words I hear most often from parents who have actually taken the time to read this document.
To think we would see the day when a bureaucracy, which is responsible to its local taxpayers, would threaten a $50 fine for failure to return this signed document is almost beyond my comprehension. We are entitled to better.
I am a business owner and father of two. A lesson learned from both endeavors is that you must have rules, the consequences for violation must be clear. You have to treat every violation individually, and you must be consistent.
The state has been slowly pushing parental and student responsibility aside and attempting to carry this burden. Now the state is demanding a return to responsibility and parental involvement. Most parents never gave up their responsibilities and are insulted by the state's demands.
The advantage that many of us see in small-town living is an air of trust. I have seen this air of trust slowly disappearing in our schools because our administration is under pressure to meet state mandates written to blanket all students in all localities. Neither our school system nor our state government should be allowed to move toward autonomy; they work for us. I am afraid that our School Board, administration and state government have made the turn toward the bureaucracy and have lost sight of community pride and individual diversity.
Most people when presented an ultimatum will resist. On the other hand, most people, when asked nicely, will cooperate and give freely of their time for a worthy cause. Please, do not threaten me without due cause, please do not bombard me with legalese and baloney, please do not provide my children such a restrictive environment.
Parents and students who have privately expressed concerns about this "Code of Conduct," please express yourselves to your school administration and state representatives. I will not be bound by my signature to the school's interpretation of its own rules. I hope many other parents will feel the same way.
Marshall Overstreet is a business owner in Christiansburg. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he has lived in the area for about 20 years. His two children attend Christiansburg Middle and High schools.
by CNB