It’s finally Saturday. The curtains are drawn to keep out the
nagging sunlight. The pillows are still
warm and the room echoes with the snores of sleeping teenagers. Suddenly, an incessant buzzing.
For these students, Saturday
morning spent in dreaming bliss will be ruined by a new policy which will
require them to pack their backpacks and go back to school.
The rule, proposed by School Board
member Tim Steele at Monday’s School Board meeting will require students who
have disciplinary issues at school during the week to attend an extra Saturday
morning session.
Steele’s goal is to minimize in
school suspensions during the week by threatening students with their worst
fear: Saturday school. “I hope the
threat of Saturday classes will make students think twice before breaking the
school rules” said Steele.
In school suspensions are given out
automatically to students caught smoking in or outside of Portsmouth High
School. Students who miss class time due
to these suspensions are not allowed to make up the missed work. Steele’s new program would ensure students
miss no class time.
As reassuring as this thought is, parents are
not so gung-ho for this new policy. Peggy
Bacon, a parent, does not approve of this idea.
“I work six days a week- including Saturday morning- and it’s bad enough
to get my son off to school Monday through Friday. Why should I have to worry about Saturday as
well?”
In addition to added challenges for
parents the policy will cause taxpayers to pay more. The proposed policy would require a budget of
$3,000 per year for staffing. “The
parents are going to pay for it”, said Bacon, “in higher taxes as well as in
ruined Saturdays”.
Other residents have different
opinions. Bob Farley of 64 Elm St. said
that this new policy will require parents to take more responsibility for their
children. “Maybe it’s time the parents
of America were made to take a little responsibility for their kids… That’s the
whole problem- parents aren’t teaching their kids any discipline, so the kids
have no respect for rules” said Farley.
INCOMPLETE!!!
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