Parents should be held accountable for pupils

Editor:

In response to the Sept. 8 editorial, Best "choice: Stick with schools, I agree the parents in Grovetown and Harlem area do trust our neighborhood schools, but some points of the editorial show your bias. No. 1 is the quote regarding the No Child Left Behind law, a Bush administration program that is sowing confusion, opened the doors for parent to remove their children from Title 1 Schools considered "low performing on standardized testing for two years in a row.

Columbia County officials are breathing a sigh of relief because they were concerned that, using the case of Euchee Creek Elementary, 20-some students who took the standardized tests who also missed over 1,000 days of school would infect the other schools in the district.

Well, of course that didnt happen. If the adults who have these kids living in their homes (the word parents just doesnt fit) cant get them to a school nearby, why would anyone think that they would go to the trouble of sending them cross-county?

Gloria Hamilton, the Title 1 director hired to handle the transfers of only six students, has hit the nail on the head with her quote, The numbers are so low, theres not much of an impact. Impact on what, the other schools or the children who are indeed being left behind?

Tommy Price, the county School Board and principals of the affected schools need to work with the Department of Family and Children Services and the sheriff to identify the so-called parents of these kids and take appropriate actions against them, and give these kids the education that they deserve - with or without parental support.

Michael Schortinghuis

Grovetown