Why is it that week after week we see news stories highlighting acts of violence by young people against young people? Not too long ago we were saddened by the unnecessary death of a young man in Chicago who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now the story is about a gang rape of a young lady attending her school Homecoming Dance. When is enough, enough?
When I was a student I had one simple household rule to live by, “get in trouble at school and get the punishment two fold when you get home”. Today, when a student breaks the rules parents often say, “I know my child did something wrong, but . . .”
My friends, it’s time to throw “but” out the door! When a child, of any age, leaves home for school the parents’ responsibility does not end. Our schools have been established to educate and provide our children with the tools they need to succeed, not be the full time parent when the students walk through the door.
When a student is beaten to death with a board as others video the crime, something’s wrong! When a young lady is raped by 4 thugs while as many as 20 others watch, something’s wrong! When students are bringing guns, drugs and knives to school, something’s wrong!
What’s wrong? Many will say “it’s today’s way of life”. Many will say “there’s nothing we can do”. Many will say “it’s not my kid so who cares”. To me, none of these comments are acceptable. Parents need to be the responsible party. Parents need to show their children the respect and discipline we knew as students not too many years ago. Parents need to be parents! Parents need to be engaged!
We live in a less than perfect world. Like many of you I have four children, two older and two younger. Being a parent is a full time 24/7 adventure; but what we’re seeing today in so many places is going to lead to much greater problems… for all of our families. PTA is here to help secure a safe and healthy life for all children, but we can’t do it all; we need parents to get engaged.
For more information on how you can get involved in keeping our schools safe, visit http://www.pta.org/topic_school_violence.asp
Until next time,
Chuck Saylors, National PTA President
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