Speaking Out on Schools

With all the resources this nation commands, I find it terrible that anywhere, including within our cities, schoolchildren attend classes lacking textbooks, pencils and paper.

I think there should be an agency empowered to step in when conditions within a school district are so poor--an agency having powers and investigative resources to determine where the cause of the problem lies and with powers to initiate remedy, beginning at the local level and ending with the state.

Where there exists resources within the district or city, legal action (should) be initiated against officials and responsible agencies to ensure that funds are provided or other remedy be made as applicable. Where it is judged that such funds or remedy are not locally available, then this body or agency should be able to force the state to take action to provide funds as needed.

As a people, a nation, we are responsible for (seeing that) the circumstances of our children’s school day meet minimum standards with regard to facilities, teaching staff, personal security and material. Presently all agencies having some area of responsibility in this regard are able to point to another agency, body or a local voting public as bearing responsibility for conditions that exist, and thus no solution is forthcoming.

It is in the interest of the greater public and of affected children, that such situations and impasses have a solution forced by a body having its charter from the greater public. When a child is publicly denied, we are all morally indicted.

RONALD DeLANGE, Fountain Valley