[GovernmentShrinker]

For all the hollering by opponents and supporters of this school, I still haven't heard a peep about its academic track record (it's actually been in operation for over 20 years, and is just being expanded now). As a New York City taxpayer, that's really all I care about. I'm sure none of these kids are attending the school over the objections of any functional parents who may be involved in their lives, so as long as it doesn't infringe on parental authority, all I want to know is whether the kids are learning the 3 R's and useful trades that will keep them off the welfare rolls. I do know that at most of the "normal" high schools in NYC, students are NOT getting a decent basic education.

This school serves primarily street kids and dropouts, whose lives are already in serious disarray -- NONE of them are headed for Ozzie and Harriet lifestyles, no matter what kind of school they go to. They can do whatever they like with their lives, but the public school system should be ensuring that its students can support themselves when they reach adulthood. Does the Harvey Milk school this, or doesn't it? Enquiring taxpaying minds want to know.

[jalisco555]

The real question is why these kids (or their parents) get to exercise school choice in the public schools while everyone else is required to go where they are assigned, regardless of educational quality. The way to improve public education (and the school environment) is to give all kids the opportunity to opt out of bad schools that these kids have.