The Way I See It
By Joseph C. Phillips

Arrogance in Public Education

It had been the habit of our neighborhood elementary school to post the class rosters on the school's front door the weekend prior to the first day of class. Two years ago, an estranged parent used the information to show up at the school and take his child. The school district responded by implementing a privacy policy that prevented the school from advertising classroom rosters.

The principal of our school decided that rather than follow the example of other school principals and give the information to parents during an open house, set up tables banquet style or utilize the internet to send the information to parents, she would have parents drop their children off in the morning and they would quite literally be prevented from knowing the location of their children until the end of the day.

True enough the principal is bound by district policy but she must also balance bureaucratic mandates with common sense. One parent was attempting to leave an epinephrine shot for her child with the school nurse. In case of an allergic reaction, the adrenaline could save his life. The form the boy's mother was filling out required that she list the name of the boy's teacher and his classroom number, which of course she didn't have and the office workers would not give it to her per the principal's instructions. You see there is this privacy policy…

It sounds too foolish to be true, however, I witnessed this absurdity play out before my eyes.

Later in the day, I received a call from the school's principal who proceeded to lecture me on the need for privacy. I listened patiently (I really did!) and then calmly pointed out there was a difference between privacy and secrecy. The manner in which she chose to honor the policy more resembled a secrecy policy directed at parents and not a privacy policy for parents. In fact, so secret is the policy it is not listed in the school handbook, does not appear on the district's website and requests from the school administration for the wording of the policy went unanswered.

Of course, this isn't really about class rosters; it is about the arrogance of some public education bureaucrats. It is about an attitude of many educators that presumes to know better than parents what is best for children.

It is this same arrogance that imposed whole language on millions of American children; the same conceit that continues to demand segregated learning for bi-lingual students in spite of mountains of evidence that such policy is a hindrance; the same presumption that feels free to indoctrinate children in ideas at odds with values of family and faith. And ultimately, it is the same arrogance that is driving parents to private and home schooling.

Ideally, public education is the marrying of public dollars with educators, who work in partnership with parents giving weight to the concerns, interests and values of those ultimately responsible for the upbringing of the next generation. Alas, all too often what we experience is a rigid bureaucracy with a voracious appetite for public funds that is largely indifferent and unresponsive to the concerns of parents who have little choice and no power.

The result is that rather than being partners with parents in the education of children, educators become dictators declaring mandates from on high, passing along information about our children on a need to know basis. And as far as they are concerned, parents don't need to know. You see there is this privacy policy…

Send me your ways of seeing it at Josephcp@netlistings.com