Good Seen in King School Visit; Others Disagree

Back in April when Supt. David Andrews wanted to bring racial balance to Tustin’s public schools by redrawing the district’s boundaries, I supported him and stood by his efforts. A clear statement was made that Tustin does champion racial and ethnic equality.

I truly believe that Tustin Unified School District is a leader in the state and that racism and segregation cannot be allowed to fester in our school system.

When Rodney King came to Tustin High School unannounced, I feel that protocol procedures were not followed by informing the proper authorities in advance. That is common courtesy.

I believe that the visit should have been turned into a positive, not negative, experience. Rodney King did not talk to those students about politics--but peace. He did not talk about breaking the law--but staying in school. He did not come to Tustin High as a role model--but as a real person, scars and all. Not as a hero--but as a human being like the rest of us who’s made mistakes but carries on with his own message of strength, perseverance and hope that is bigger than he was as a person.

He did not attempt to smooth over the sins of his past but chose instead to concentrate on the future--their future. He encouraged them to follow their dreams and even to become police officers if they so choose.

Yes, Rodney King is a controversial figure. But so was Martin Luther King, and he stated that, “If we can’t live together as brothers, we will die together as fools.”

Denying our children the opportunities to hear the facts and decide for themselves right from wrong is like teaching them half the world’s history. We do not protect our children with ignorance; we do not shelter them by keeping them an arm’s length from the truth.

I feel the key to it all is education. In education, we find the elusive answers to America’s painful problems. For the sake of all of us who must take difficult situations in school and in life and make sense of it for the next generation of Americans, I urge tolerance and peace.

GLORIA MATTA TUCHMAN

Santa Ana

Gloria Matta Tuchman is a two-term member of the Tustin Unified Board of Education and teaches first grade at Taft Elementary School in Santa Ana.