DUers think volunteering at school is a bad idea

[Lauri]

DuStrange 
Original message
School Bill Would Force Parents To Volunteer
   

CLEVELAND -- It's no secret that schools need volunteers in order to do more for students, but one proposed law in Indiana would make it a requirement for parents to volunteer at their children's school.

Parent Darlene Boyd has been volunteering at her grandchildren's school for six years. If the state legislature passes House Bill 519, she'll have a lot of company, Cleveland station WEWS reports.

The bill would require all parents to volunteer 13 hours each school year, either in the lunchroom, chaperoning field trips, or wherever the district needs help.

...

The bill's incentive is a $100 fine for parents who don't fulfill the requirement.

http://www.koco.com/education/15775391/detail.html


Apart from being a bad idea, would this even be constitutional?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3100126

nomad1776 
22. At first glance I thought that was a pretty good idea
   
Then I thought about it and realized that everyone is already paying money to educate other people's children. So to do that AND make them volunteer seems like a bit much.

BlooInBloo 
19. Hahaha! Another go-around at what DUers consider to be SLAVERY! woot!

[Chris_]

Requiring parents to be volunteers?  Isn't that an oxymoron? 

People get much more satisfaction out of volunteering on their own, rather than being forced to. 

Hopefully, that law does not pass. 

[Lauri]

Requiring parents to be volunteers?  Isn't that an oxymoron? 

People get much more satisfaction out of volunteering on their own, rather than being forced to. 

Hopefully, that law does not pass. 

statistics are pretty conclusive that in districts where parents are more involved, the students do far better.

i think the poorer areas where parents dont understand this.. well, maybe they just have to be shown how to do it?

[guest]

Requiring parents to be volunteers?  Isn't that an oxymoron? 

People get much more satisfaction out of volunteering on their own, rather than being forced to. 

Hopefully, that law does not pass. 

statistics are pretty conclusive that in districts where parents are more involved, the students do far better.

i think the poorer areas where parents dont understand this.. well, maybe they just have to be shown how to do it?

Oh, I know that is definitely true of the schools where I used to live (parents were EXTREMELY involved at my HS, for example).

I don't know how the requirement would actually work.   These parents in the poorer areas may be too busy trying to make ends meet to try to get involved with their children's schools.  Hopefully, some sort of compromise can be worked out to help teach the parents what they CAN do to be involved.  Every little bit helps, in my opinion. 

[Splashdown]

Do we REALLY want people who don't want to be there supervising children? That's a recipe for a major disaster/scandal.


Lack of parental involvement? Another reason why public schools, in general, suck.

[jtyangel]

Are they that hard up for help? In our district they usually turn parents away who want to help because they have too many volunteers. I don't think I want to be compelled to help out in a school that's already sucking my pockets dry to 'educate' my children.

[Chris_]

There are quite a few parents that should never be anywhere near a school.   

[Freeper]

The DUmmies should love this it is forced charity after all.

[BEG]

I volunteer at least two hours a week but I don't have a job.  What would parents do who may want to volunteer but work?  We have a butt load of mothers who volunteer in the classroom and in the office but when it requires someone to sit through the book fair or go on a field trip, they all seem to disappear.  This proposal is stupid.

One of my daughters teachers told me how glad she is to be at my daughters school.  Her previous school was in a bad part of Dallas.  She said that NO parents volunteered, some parents would send their kids to school in their pajama's and expect the school to do the parenting.  When their child would fail a grade (after numerous notifications were sent home) they would come up to the school (the only time they saw them up there, they wouldn't bother coming for parent/teacher conferences) and threaten the teachers.  

[rich_t]

Dumb idea and I hope it fails passage.

I doubt it would hold up in court anyway as it amounts to involuntary servitude to the state.
 
And as already pointed out...  What about families where both parents work or a single parant homes?

[Duke Nukum]

Isn't being forced to volunteer conscription or slavery?

[Lord Undies]

If it is mandatory,  the parents must be paid for their time.  They already pay taxes.  The teachers aren't volunteers.  The principal isn't a volunteer.  The nurse isn't a volunteer.  The lunchroom lady isn't a volunteer.  Why must parents give their time for free.  It ain't church.

[jtyangel]

I volunteer at least two hours a week but I don't have a job.  What would parents do who may want to volunteer but work?  We have a butt load of mothers who volunteer in the classroom and in the office but when it requires someone to sit through the book fair or go on a field trip, they all seem to disappear.  This proposal is stupid.

One of my daughters teachers told me how glad she is to be at my daughters school.  Her previous school was in a bad part of Dallas.  She said that NO parents volunteered, some parents would send their kids to school in their pajama's and expect the school to do the parenting.  When their child would fail a grade (after numerous notifications were sent home) they would come up to the school (the only time they saw them up there, they wouldn't bother coming for parent/teacher conferences) and threaten the teachers.   

That is just outrageous to me. Sending children to school in their pajamas? You'd be pariah in my neighborhood if someone did that. How lazy can someone be. I mean how difficult is it to have clean clothes for your children and to make sure they are bathed and in them. 

[Bondai]

My question is what gives a school district the right to levy fines on anyone? This shit is getting out of hand.

[rich_t]

My question is what gives a school district the right to levy fines on anyone? This shit is getting out of hand.

They have no such legal authority.

[BEG]

I volunteer at least two hours a week but I don't have a job.  What would parents do who may want to volunteer but work?  We have a butt load of mothers who volunteer in the classroom and in the office but when it requires someone to sit through the book fair or go on a field trip, they all seem to disappear.  This proposal is stupid.

One of my daughters teachers told me how glad she is to be at my daughters school.  Her previous school was in a bad part of Dallas.  She said that NO parents volunteered, some parents would send their kids to school in their pajama's and expect the school to do the parenting.  When their child would fail a grade (after numerous notifications were sent home) they would come up to the school (the only time they saw them up there, they wouldn't bother coming for parent/teacher conferences) and threaten the teachers.   

That is just outrageous to me. Sending children to school in their pajamas? You'd be pariah in my neighborhood if someone did that. How lazy can someone be. I mean how difficult is it to have clean clothes for your children and to make sure they are bathed and in them. 

When I was in school in Omaha, Nebraska we had bussing.  Kids from the "bad" areas would be bussed to our neighborhood.  What came off those buses were scary.  There were kids getting off the bus that literally looked like they just woke up and rolled out of bed (wearing slippers and house coats).  They probably did because it was about a 45 minute drive from where they lived to where our school was.  In 9th grade we were suppose to be bused to the other side of Omaha (the "bad" area) but we moved to Tulsa the summer before my 9th grade year.  When my brother went to that 9th grade school (it was just a 9th grade school, it was called Horace Mann, I don't know if it is even still a school) he got his coat stolen several times, a pair of shoes taken right off his feet and beat up a couple times.  I am so glad we moved before I got to experience Horace Mann.

[Red October]

I don't think too many publik skoolz wanna drag Professor Red in kicking and screaming.  Have you seen his required reading list?



 





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