Public School In USA

An intriguing ruling by the U.S. Top court could re-open discussion about the brainwashing that occurs in all-too-many public school classrooms these days.

The High Court now issued a thumbs-down to so-called “diversity” plans in 2 large school districts which use race as a factor in assigning students. Based on a related Press report, the ruling could affect not just schools in Seattle and Louisville, but tend to impact like-minded plans in countless school systems around the country.

Chief Justice John Roberts said the school districts involved “failed to exhibit they considered methods other than explicit racial classifications to achieve their stated goals.” Roberts and also the remaining Court majority think that the proposals in Seattle and Louisville conflicted with Constitutional guarantees for equal protection. Granted, the Court was split 5-4, but a choice is a decision, and something can only hope this decision deals a fatal blow to ill-conceived race-based school policies.

Obviously, liberals happen to be offering a knee-jerk assessment from the decision. Justice Stephen Breyer in his dissent said, “To invalidate the plans under review would be to threaten the commitment of Brown (v. Board of Education).”

But wasn’t the dream of civil rights leader Martin Luther King to establish a society when people weren’t judged on race, but on the content of their character? As the Bush Administration argued, racial diversity can be a noble goal, but it should simply be achieved by race-neutral means.

Lawyer Teddy Gordon argued the Louisville district’s plan was a form of discrimination. In the AP report, he’s quoted as saying,” Clearly, we want better race-neutral alternatives. Instead of spending zillions of dollars round the country to place a black child next to a white child, let’s reduce class size. All the schools are equal. We will no longer believe that an African-American majority within a school is unacceptable.”

Let’s bear in mind here that it was parents themselves who have been upset with the programs in Seattle and Louisville, and it was the mother and father who sued. Now, it might stand to reason why parents have been in the very best position to determine what kind of educational plan is perfect for their own children. They’re far more concerned about whether Johnny can read than who Johnny sits alongside in class.

No child should have his or her educational opportunities limited due to race. America is supposed to be the land of freedom–not a place where arcane bureaucratic rules and outdated theories of education reign supreme. Parents should have the greatest flexibility in determining where their children visit school–particularly since it’s the parents’ tax dollars which are supporting the colleges. It’s simply wrong to hang an indication on a schoolhouse door saying only a number of blacks or whites are allowed in.

Walking inside a school zone may be the most dangerous part of your child’s school day.

So put pedestrian safety high in listing of subjects to review using the entire family before Metro Nashville Public Schools reopen for a half-day of class this Thursday, Aug. 12.

You will find multiple causes for car accidents involving child pedestrians. Firstly, vehicle drivers could be at fault.

Based on Safe Kids USA, one inch six vehicles moving via a school zone is being driven by a distracted driver. Safe Kids USA’s 2009 study, called Characteristics of Distracted Drivers in School Zones: A National Report counted more than 40,000 observations of drivers in class zones in the United States. The leading distraction observed was, no real surprise, use of an electronics device. But drivers were also observed attempting all of the common car accident-causing activities: eating, drinking, smoking, grooming, reading, or reaching for something elsewhere within the vehicle.

“With recent research demonstrating the driving skills of a distracted driver are badly as or worse than an intoxicated driver, the overall relevance of the study is clear,” says Moira Donahue, the director of Walk By doing this, Safe Kids USA’s pedestrian safety program. “Almost one in six drivers inside a school zone behaves like a drunk driver.”

The morning commute might seem such as the most harried time for drivers. But a five-year study of pedestrian trends shows that drivers are in fact 22 percent more prone to be driving distracted within the afternoon. Approximately 55 percent of automobile accidents inducing the death of the child occurred between 3 and 7 p.m.

Distracted driving isn’t the only element in child pedestrian fatalities, though. Youth and inexperience cause car accidents, too.

These five-year study shows that the youngest drivers, those who work in the 16- to 25-year-old age range, have the effect of 26.28 percent of the accidents that result in child pedestrian fatalities. That’s a lot more than any other age group. Plus, child pedestrians themselves need extra guidance around traffic, even inside a designated school zone. Kids younger than 10, typically, have not yet developed the skills essential to judge how far away an automobile is nor how fast it is approaching. Children’s cognitive, developmental, behavioral, physical and sensory abilities might not be prepared to handle all the details coming at them along a busy street.

Before the Nashville school year starts, talk with the young drivers inside your family. Insist they make driving the #1 priority if they are driving. Remind them that Metro Nashville Public Schools maintain 15 mph speed limits in class zones. Also, pay attention to crossing guards in class zones. Failure to prevent for any crossing guard carries the same penalty as driving past an end sign! And remind everybody to become extra cautious when driving in residential areas where children may be outside playing. Automobile accidents often can be prevented just by focusing.

As you prepare for rediscovering the reassurance of school, make certain even a short jaunt to the bus stop is approached with care. Talk with your little pedestrians about safe behavior while travelling to and waiting at their bus stop. Also, you are able to help drivers see your children by utilizing retroreflective materials and lightweight and bright colors on outerwear and backpacks, especially if your children is going to be on the streets during twilight or dusk hours.