Jim Patch, a candidate vying for a seat on the Des Moines school board, said Thursday he is opposed to linking high school graduation requirements with students' reading abilities. "How can we take a bright kid that is having trouble reading and tell them, "You can't graduate?" " Patch asked. "If they are doing well in other subjects, are we going to tell them they can't get a high school diploma?"
How can a student do well in any subject if he can't read?
Patch, a retired Des Moines teacher who has been endorsed by the teachers union, ['nuff said] has said during candidates' forums and other venues that many people have dyslexia or other brain-based learning disabilities that inhibit their ability to learn to read. ...
Patch, at a forum this week, expanded his comments, saying students shouldn't be denied a high school diploma just because they are poor readers. If diplomas are withheld, "we could have a lot of future architects and doctors out there that aren't going to graduate," Patch said in an interview.
We certainly should have people who can't read performing heart surgery or designing skyscrapers full of people! Yikes! Des Moines Register.