Who do I write to about this...

[AndrewCCM]

Originally Posted by kimberley

well for someone who worked in a school for many years..take a step back and remember most of these rules were made because of over baring parents making complaints...most rules are not made from principles etc they are done out of necessity because parents are barking down the principle necks.

Also yes in this day and age I really dont want people I dont know taking pictures of my children I for one want to know who and whom are taking pics of my kids and doing who knows what with them...so just FYI dont go bashing the administration Im sure this had to do with a parent first and making them happy rather them just sitting around a table thinking up new rules... :o)

No doubt. However, the fact that all of the families pretty much know each other in our kids classes...prohibiting a parent from coming in and taking pics of their kid at a class play, first day of school, with his friends during a school function, etc.. is way over the line with me. Especially, after they practically beg parents to come and help out at the school all the time. So the parent can come and assist with the kids and projects and events, but cannot take a picture of Johnny and his best friend? Give me a break.

Oh and.. our school is locked..We have to go by the office, they scan our drivers license and issue a visitors badge.

For the record, my wife's side of the family come from a long line of teachers...

[toverman]

My son's elementary school is just the opposite ... the PTA wants parents to submit all kinds of photos for the yearbook/end-of-year slideshow, etc. etc. etc.

Something probably triggered this, maybe an antsy parent being overprotective about privacy. "Public school" means publicly funded, but there are several things they have a right (per the courts at least) to control.

[island bound]

Some of this, too, is internet safety. One school/district has to have signed permission from a parent for each student for the school to put pictures on the school web site. No signed permission, your face gets blurred out. They have to know every student's name in the pic and then check the parental signed permission before it goes on line.

[ol geezer]

If enough parents are concerned with this ban, a class action lawsuit may be the answer. This, at least, would force the issue to conclusion.

[klynam]

Originally Posted by toverman

Something probably triggered this, maybe an antsy parent being overprotective about privacy. "Public school" means publicly funded, but there are several things they have a right (per the courts at least) to control.

This is the core problem with public school - of which I am a product and now a firm opponent. A very vocal, minority is able to force policy decisions against the will of the majority. However this does not work in regard to actual scholarship...

Our daughter is dyslexic. Despite being very smart, she was put in special education classes because the regular curriculum didn't fit her particular learning abilities. Turns out the "special needs" cirriculum didn't fit her either. So we spent thousands of dollars, in multiple programs across the metroplex, to determine which type of curriculum did work with her. We found one. We asked the school to use it. They categorically refused; even if we paid for the whole thing! Why? Because the school board selects and approves one - and only one - curriculum for all "special needs" students throughout the entire district.

So if you’re child doesn’t fit the general bell-curve, or the one special needs curriculum they have, you’re basically screwed. In discussing our daughter’s needs during the FINAL school/teacher review, her primary grade teacher said, and I kid you not, “well, maybe she’ll marry well.” And yes, she was completely serious.

One kid brings a camera, and now cameras are off limits for everyone. But one kid with a legitimate learning need that doesn't fit the model is written off. This happened in a solid, middleclass neighborhood (north Carrollton.) And you wonder why overburdened, urban schools have such terrible academic performance and crime problems…do the math people.

As for “socialization”, yes there are some very isolationist families who home school. Don't equate them to the entire movement. As a friend of mine was fond of saying, "Deciding to home school doesn't make people wierd. Some people were weird in the first place."

The vast majority of home school children are marvelously well adjusted and very intelligent because they get to focus on learning and positive socialization; not worrying about who’s shooting up, having sex, or getting stabbed today.

[klynam]

Originally Posted by island bound

Some of this, too, is internet safety. One school/district has to have signed permission from a parent for each student for the school to put pictures on the school web site. No signed permission, your face gets blurred out. They have to know every student's name in the pic and then check the parental signed permission before it goes on line.

LMAO - but of course they probably refuse to filter pornography from Internet access, or homo/hetero-sexual literature from the library, due to "cencorship" concerns...

[photostein]

Let's not be naive here...you know that kids this age cannot handle the responsibility of cameras in school and using the photos in respectful ways. 20 years ago when I went to school, yeah, no biggy, but today, one minute the photo is taken, the next it is all over the internet MYSPACE gallaxy.

This is to keep kids from taking compromising photos of other kids (and you know they will).

I would also venture to say it is because of the proliferation of cell phones. Additionally, whose idea was it that school is some sort of playground? It is supposed to be about learning (although the indoctrination now days is overwhelming).

Kids are not inherently good and unfortunately, not enough training from parents today results in kids, for the most part, not having the responsible nature trained in them to handle such activities.

Lastly, I find it weird in a forum such as this that we can have such strong opinions concerning something so pervasive and ubiquitous as public educational policies, but not the core beliefs and cosmic systems at work forcing those policies into place.

[photostein]

Originally Posted by klynam

This is the core problem with public school - of which I am a product and now a firm opponent. A very vocal, minority is able to force policy decisions against the will of the majority. However this does not work in regard to actual scholarship...

Our daughter is dyslexic. Despite being very smart, she was put in special education classes because the regular curriculum didn't fit her particular learning abilities. Turns out the "special needs" cirriculum didn't fit her either. So we spent thousands of dollars, in multiple programs across the metroplex, to determine which type of curriculum did work with her. We found one. We asked the school to use it. They categorically refused; even if we paid for the whole thing! Why? Because the school board selects and approves one - and only one - curriculum for all "special needs" students throughout the entire district.

So if you’re child doesn’t fit the general bell-curve, or the one special needs curriculum they have, you’re basically screwed. In discussing our daughter’s needs during the FINAL school/teacher review, her primary grade teacher said, and I kid you not, “well, maybe she’ll marry well.” And yes, she was completely serious.

One kid brings a camera, and now cameras are off limits for everyone. But one kid with a legitimate learning need that doesn't fit the model is written off. This happened in a solid, middleclass neighborhood (north Carrollton.) And you wonder why overburdened, urban schools have such terrible academic performance and crime problems…do the math people.

As for “socialization”, yes there are some very isolationist families who home school. Don't equate them to the entire movement. As a friend of mine was fond of saying, "Deciding to home school doesn't make people wierd. Some people were weird in the first place."

The vast majority of home school children are marvelously well adjusted and very intelligent because they get to focus on learning and positive socialization; not worrying about who’s shooting up, having sex, or getting stabbed today.

Again, I say, don't be naive. The public school system isn't for educational purposes as it was 20-30-40-50 years ago; it is an indoctrinational system for a future one-world governmental system and the pablem these kids are fed is designed to remove all thinking, all individuality and all patriotic convictions, much more to the extent any belief in an overall Creator of the universe.

MY KID WILL NOT, IF I CAN HELP IT AT ALL, GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOL (I.E. INDOCTRINATIONAL CAMP)

[klynam]

Whatever it is now, the current K-12 educational model (6yrs old to 18yrs old) was actually based on 19th/20th century European models designed to power an industrial economy by producing reliable, efficient adult workers.

In addition to socio-economic class, a concept similar to natural selection was also employed to determine individual direction: i.e. labor (manual, military, etc.) or intellect (higher education, business/political leadership). All in all, the model worked pretty well through the mid-20th century.

Unfortunately, the industrial revolution was quickly ecliplsed by the technological revolution, but the old industrial powers (US, Russia, Europe) have still not redesigned their educational models accordingly. Other nation-states have...