Orange School Trustees Still Haven’t Learned Their Lesson : They Continue to Place Politics First, Children Second

It all sounds so simple: The job of the schools is to teach children reading, writing and arithmetic. The job of parents is to help their children do well in school, and take care of their medical needs, get them counseling if they need it, instruct them how to cope with all society’s problems, or find experts who can do that.

But reality is not so neat.

In the real world, some parents do not see to it that their children eat hearty breakfasts before going to school. Some parents cannot afford medical care or cannot get time off from work to take children to clinics. Some do not know how to reach out for professional help.

Teachers and administrators at Lampson Elementary School in the Orange Unified School District recognized the realities. Several years ago, they began seeking grants from private foundations and government agencies to help their needy pupils. The effort has been remarkably successful: The school has received more than $200,000 in grants in the past three years. The Weingart Foundation, a philanthropic organization, contributed $25,000 for the school to hire a family counselor and open a family resource center.

Incredibly, district trustees decided to halt similar grants in the future. One trustee said advocates of on-campus programs to help the children “tend to be socialist or, at a minimum, liberal.”

This month the school board considered barring its 37 schools, with 27,000 students, from accepting grants for social services. That means things like free breakfasts and medical checkups. It was not a question of money; the programs cost the district nothing. It was a question of philosophy.

To their credit, 400 parents and supporters packed a school board meeting to tell the trustees they were wrong, which they are. The board instead approved a compromise plan that bans permanent medical, dental or counseling services on campus. Although there is no definition of “permanent” in the plan, it passed 4-3. It should have been defeated.

Some proponents of the ban on outside services claim to see it as a step toward government taking control of child-rearing away from parents. Others are concerned about having schools try to do too much, and worry about diverting teachers from the central mission of learning. In the case of the first concern, yes, there are irresponsible parents who may prefer to let someone else accept a burden that should be theirs. But it is wrong to punish a child because the parent is bad.

It is also wrong to deny parents the chance to help their children. If parents cannot afford a car, cannot work out schedules to get offspring to medical appointments several bus transfers and hours away, why should the children suffer? If there is an on-campus clinic steps from the school, let the student take advantage of the helping hand.

In the case of the second concern, it is important to remember that three-quarters of Lampson’s 900 students come from homes considered impoverished. It does no good to have a hungry, ill child in a classroom. The pupil does not learn. Other students and teachers are distracted.

More than half the pupils have limited English skills. The school has reached out to more than 30 community organizations for help and has received a heartening response. Other schools in the district have considered emulating the Lampson program, which would be wise.

Lampson has become a community resource, which is a fine role for a school. Administrators have helped parents learn how to read to their children. Mothers and fathers gather monthly to discuss how to become better parents.

That is exactly what is needed to make a school good: parents helping teachers and assisting their children.

The Orange lesson should also be instructive to residents of other districts where trustees thunder against so-called “social engineering” and “government interference.”

For students living in poverty, struggling with a new language, school is tough enough without trying it on an empty stomach. And education remains the route out of poverty and toward a better childhood for their own children years from now.