Any people who believe ACS is some kind of liberal brainwashing conspiracy need to take their heads out of their asses. All of your comments are some of the most hillariously idiotic things I've ever heard. Ithaca is the "City of Evil"? Who came up with that priceless pseudonym? What excellent linguistic powers you possess. If you're going to say something stupid, at least make it more creative.
You bet ACS is a public school, and more schools should be like it.
There is NO forced indoctrination as you seem to suggest. The only doctrine it enforces is understanding and tolerance. They don't support murder. Who the Hell supports murder?? Where are you getting this from? One person happens to think maybe Mumia had something interesting to hear, and suddenly the entire school is deteriorated? Suddenly Ithaca is the City of Evil? Talk about jumping to conclusions. It's generalizations like this that lead to prejudice, misunderstanding, and hatred. Next thing we know you'll all be calling to revoke Civil Rights and enslave all blacks, gays, muslims and women.
The whole idea of ACS is to keep an OPEN MIND. I know this is a hard concept for some of you to wrap your heads around, but TRY to step outside of your little shells for a moment and take an objective look at something beyond your front doors.
People at ACS are encouraged to respect a variety of beliefs, even those opposed to their own. It is a broad educational experience intended to expose students to new ways of thinking. Not to force them INTO these ways of thinking, but to foster the kind of open-minded understanding that prevents them from going out into the world, reading a tiny excerpt of an article and loudly proclaiming their self-rigteous opposition to a culture they don't understand.
Yes, there are devout Christians at ACS, as some of you were expressing doubt about. They are treated as well as any other people, and their views are respected and allowed to grow, as are most viewpoints. One girl even got up at the talent show to thank the entire school for supporting her in her belief in God. The only views people at ACS don't tolerate are blatantly biased prejudices.
Maybe that's what you all have a problem with, as you seem so very fond of blatantly biased prejudices.
Alternative Community School is one of the best things that's happened for kids and teens in the community. It provides an escape for the dreadful excuse for public middle and high school the less fortunate are forced to attend. Can a single one of you describe what ACS is actually like? Do any of you have the slightest idea of what it's about? Even what it IS? You see a little article and suddenly you're informed enough to call the school disgusting and evil? If anything is disgusting and evil, your preconceptions and prejudiced judgements are a whole lot closer to it than a little school where people are allowed to think differently and not made into mindless automatons who go along with the crowd.
If you can't see that, or at least respect it, go put on your white hood and join the KKK, or drag some poor gay boy around in a pickup truck till he bleeds to death, or tattoo yourself with a swatstika and hail Hitler. That's the path your closed-minded judgements will take you down.
Got something to say? Go for it. Just try to think a little before you type, huh? It doesn't hurt TOO much, even for beginners.
konriar@aol.com