S .F. Students Earn Their Stripes

California
When the San Francisco school board voted last month to restore the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, it seemed that sanity had prevailed -- three years after the board voted to kill the popular program. Finally, the board had put students' welfare ahead of its ruthless political correctness.

Wrong. Unless the school board votes to recognize that JROTC fulfills students' high school physical education requirements at Tuesday's board meeting, the board's vote to keep JROTC could be viewed as a conniving stunt and a cruel hoax.

If students cannot get PE credit -- as they could before the board yanked it in 2007 -- many students will not be able to fit it into their schedules... [snip]

I urge readers to watch the video archive of the May 12 school board meeting on www.sfusd.edu. On the anti-side, you'll see some students, but mostly a bunch of aged hippies, who think we're still in Vietnam, railing against military atrocities. On the RO side, you'll see some parents and educators, but mostly kids, who aren't talking about themselves but something larger than themselves.

Students who are on the academic sweet track and those whose kids who are not yet there marvel at a program that taught them how to present themselves, ways to help others (first aid) -- and how to become leaders. They are confident young adults.

Unless the board quickly makes up for its folly, there will be fewer such students graduating San Francisco schools...

[Recommended > ]

READ MORE