Chris Baker

Minot

How much federal money is attached to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that our school district says prevents them from protecting the victims of bullies?

The front page story of Friday, 24 August, demonstrates why we need to repurpose Central Campus to a special needs school. The current system puts the victim under surveillance and no onus upon the aggressor. This has been going on for years, and these are not the only children so affected, merely the only parents whose voice was loud enough.

Almost all of the federal regulations regarding school are well intended and leading to the hellish schools where evil is unassailable and innocence is unallowable, where parents are often silenced about such things with threats of child neglect or abuse investigation, where no child matters.

How is it “correct” for the victim to have to change schools, leave friends, create transportation problems for the family? Shouldn’t the one whose behavior was controllable but uncontrolled be the one relocating? Yep, should be, but federal directives say otherwise, and they come with cash and that is important to provide all the other “things” the federal government mandates in schools.

We need that special school with special teachers and services for the special children that the federal government wants protected – the problems. We need to exert local control and say, “No, we don’t punish victims.”

What lessons do you want your taxes teaching?