Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509250007
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Here's what the candidates had to say on the subject of fines for parents who refuse to cooperate with schools in disciplining their children.
The General Assembly has approved a bill that allows parents to be fined up to $500 if they refuse to work with school officials to improve the behavior of disruptive children. Do you support such an approach?
Bedford County
District 1:
Russell "Butch" Wright: "Yes. We have to have the support of the parents of disruptive students. This is a tool to force the parents to work with the school system."
Wesley Gordon Jr.: Did not respond.
District 5:
Eugene Erb: "Yes. Parents must be involved in student actions, both positive and negative."
Betty Earle: Did not respond.
District 6:
Hunter Hale Jr.: "One of our biggest problems with children today is no support from the family. Many are left on their own, and the parents don't care whether they receive an education or not. I am an advocate of the General Assembly's bill fining parents for nonsupport."
Shirley McCabe: Did not respond.
District 7:
Stanley Butler: "Since schools have a limited number of alternatives to control behavior, the parents need to be involved. Yes, I support the approach."
Benny Shrader: "Yes. For schools to be effective, it requires parental support."
Botetourt County
Valley District:
Michael Beahm: "I support the bill that allows parents to be fined up to $500 if they refuse to work with school officials to improve the behavior of disruptive students. The disruptive child needs the cooperative support of the school and parent."
Fincastle District:
Sally Eads: "Most parents want to cooperate. We need to strongly urge parents to take parenting classes to teach parenting skills, and then use financial punishments."
David Emeigh: "No."
L.W. "Jack" Leffel Jr.: Did not respond.
Blue Ridge District:
James Ruhland: Did not respond.
Craig County:
Alleghany District:
James Cady: Did not respond.
Simmonsville District:
Bonnie Hutchison: Did not respond.
Rodney Williams: Did not respond.
New Castle District:
Thomas Zimmerman: Did not respond.
Two at-large seats:
Patrick Myers: Did not respond.
Brenda Allen: Did not respond.
Robert Knepp: "Yes. An approach such as this would help to keep the parents involved and make them accountable for their children. If the parents do not care, the teachers' authority is undermined."
Hettie Farley: Did not respond.
Floyd County
District A:
Clay Link: Did not respond.
District B:
David Sulzen: "I would support this approach if it was recommended by the local Parent-Teacher Association."
Cheryl Whitlock-Allen: Did not respond.
District C:
Howard Cundiff Jr.: Did not respond.
District D:
Marie Mathis: "No. This opens the door for more abuse of parents by unscrupulous school faculty and administrators, and leaves little or no recourse for the parents."
Margaret Hubbard: Did not respond.
District E:
Douglas Phillips: Did not respond.
Louellen Sharp: Did not respond.
Franklin County
Blackwater District:
Shirley Jamison: Did not respond.
Van Flora: "Yes."
Boone District:
Guy Buford: Did not respond.
Snow Creek District:
Terry Lovell: "Yes. Definitely."
G.B. Washburn Jr.: "Yes. Ninety-five percent of the problems start at home or are not properly handled by parents."
Union Hall District:
Perry D. Hambrick: "Yes. Parents cannot depend on the schools to raise their children for them. They need to take a more involved interest in the school, their child and his surroundings."
Rocky Mount District:
Steve Flora: Did not respond.
Gills Creek District:
Jack Newbill: Did not respond.
One at-large seat:
Amanda Davis: "No."
William Helm Jr.: Did not respond.
Giles County:
Western District:
J. Lewis Webb: Did not respond.
Central District:
Joseph Gollehon: Did not respond.
Carolyn Linkous: Did not respond.
Mary-Paul "Widget" Shannon: "Yes. Parents must work with the schools. The schools can't do it by themselves."
Eastern District:
Jeffrey Wiegand: "Yes, parents must be responsible for their children and take a more active role."
Ronald Whitehead: Did not respond.
Two at-large seats:
J.B. Buckland: Did not respond.
John Billos: Did not respond.
Phillip Morris: Did not respond.
Montgomery County
District B:
Robert Anderson: "Yes. Parents need to be held accountable to some extent."
Bernard Jortner: "I appreciate the General Assembly's effort to encourage parental involvement in their children's education, but before implementation of this law, I would want to be assured that the schools had done everything possible to be sure that parents had been made to feel comfortable with the involved procedures."
Oscar Williams: Did not respond.
District E:
Jack LeDoux: "Yes. Need to involve and hold parents responsible for their child's misconduct."
Victor Sheppard: Did not respond.
Michael Smith: Did not respond.
District F:
Richard Edwards: "No. I don't understand this program. How would it be administered with any degree of fairness? This policy could not have been carefully thought out."
James Klagge: "Parental and community involvement is extremely important to the success of an educational system. It is frustrating to try to deal with problem students when parents are not positively involved. I doubt that positive involvement can be forced through fines. However, if it did prove to be effective in certain cases, I would support it."
District G:
Peggy Arrington: "It is my understanding that parents may be fined $500 if the court decides to do so for failure to meet with school officials if their child/student is being readmitted following a suspension, or is receiving a second suspension or is being expelled. I suspect that the law's intent was to get parental attention and to attempt to make it important for them to attend to their child's problems at school. It is a law and must be treated as such. I'm not sure if it will be effective, however, in getting the parent constructively involved with their child and her/his behavior at school."
Wat Hopkins: "Yes. It should be clear, however, that this refusal must be willful and intentional on the part of the parent and the fine will only be assessed under due process of law."
Pulaski County
Ingles District:
Ronald Chaffin: "Yes. Parents must take responsibility for their children."
Barbara Chrisley: "Yes, parents need to be accountable for their children."
Robinson District:
Sybil Atkinson: "Yes, although I'm certain it will be a challenge to enforce. Pulaski County tries to involve parents in the education process, beginning in kindergarten, and hopefully we will continue to have their support through grade 12."
Rhea Saltz: Did not respond.
Massie District:
Jeff Bain: "Yes, but only as a last resort in the most severe cases."
Nathan Tuck: "If a fine is a last resort to gain support from parents, then I support it, though a fine would probably not give any quality to that support."
Draper District:
Lewis Pratt: Did not respond.
Cloyd District:
Beth Nelson: "Before a law such as that is invoked, I would want to make sure that the school made parents feel welcome and comfortable with school personnel and the process for working with the school on problems involving the behavior of disruptive students. When I was confident that schools were not making parents uncomfortable and/or otherwise inhibiting needed cooperation, then the law might be useful."
Carolyn Brown: Did not respond.
Roanoke County
Catawba District:
William "Bill" Brown: "Parents need to be responsible for their children. In some cases, parents cannot control their children's actions. Fining them when they might be a single parent on a limited income is not the answer."
John Reed: "Only the lawyers will think this is a good bill."
Marion Roark: Did not respond.
Cave Spring District:
William Irvin III: "No. I do not think fines imposed on parents is the solution to the problem. Disruptive children and their parents should be dealt with in other ways."
Carol White: "No. Parents must be involved in their children's lives and activities, but I doubt monetary fines will force such action."
Vern Jordahl: Did not respond.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB