This is the arrogance of the state at work. Once again, the primary persons responsible for educating children are the parents. Teachers act in locus parenti, not the other way around.
But, since schools are publicly funded and bolstered by statute, teachers have adopted the stance that they are empowered to dictate to children and parents
what is best for them. The modern public schools are, in fact, state schools, where students go to be brainwashed into accepting secular humanism, statism, and the related notion that the authority of the state is the supreme reality. Those who act on behalf of the state to educate the children in those institutions are in a hallowed caste, becaus they create the statist pawns that enable the government to reign supreme.
If you measure victory in the Cold War by which system's ideas have prevailed, we must award the victory to Communism. If you think we are free, ponder the thought that where statism reigns, people have ceased to be free. And when state sponsored teachers can supplant the parents in the matter of rendering education, it is a sign of statism.
I hope this parent prevails, for no other reason except to win a much needed victory over the tyranny of the state.
Two cheers for the lawsuit.
Three cheers for homeschooling.
"This is the arrogance of the state at work. Once again, the primary persons responsible for educating children are the parents. Teachers act in locus parenti, not the other way around.
But, since schools are publicly funded and bolstered by statute, teachers have adopted the stance that they are empowered to dictate to children and parents
what is best for them."
I couldn't agree more. (I've fought that "authority" battle with the schools over things such as scoliosis testing, which is a good thing to do, but they were attempting to have the kids disrobe and do the test WITHOUT notifying the parents first. I expect to be fully in charge of my child's medical testing...and their time in the summer!)
I'd be very bothered if our school attempted to give my honors/AP track H.S. student summer homework. It sounds as though the kid in this article had a "broadening" summer job lined up where he would be learning entirely different things than Honors Calculus. Anything else he was to learn that summer is the business of his parents, not the school district. During the summer I usually have a "reading program" set up for my daughter where I give out prizes (free books of her choice) for reading challenging books off a list I prepare. This reading usually "takes off" and helps her develop new interests, such as Shakespeare. I would be unhappy if the school were to butt in and prescribe the reading or math *they* want accomplished. I'd also note that my daughter is extremely stressed by June, what with AP tests, SATs, regular homework, etc. She works darn hard during the school year, and she *is* still a kid. I seriously worry about burnout at times. Becoming an adult should be a gradual process, and the love of learning shouldn't be killed. If the schools were doing a good job during the school year, they wouldn't feel the need to pile on ever-increasing amounts of homework and summer homework. (It's probably not a surprise that after her experiences, I'm homeschooling my younger 3 children!)
I have worked in areas related to the legal profession for many years and am most definitely not a fan of frivolous lawsuits, but I have dealt with so much bureaucratic "We know best" intransigence in the schools over the years, I think sometimes they do have to be hit over the head with a lawsuit.
"I hope this parent prevails, for no other reason except to win a much needed victory over the tyranny of the state"
...profound Libertarian point! However, it is one thing for the parent to prevail (independence or rebellion against tyranny); It is another thing for the independent parent or student to become anarchastic for anarchy and sloth's sake. This calls into issue the stated community standards for education--vs. default actual community standards....scary disparity!