Subdistrict’s Graduation Requirement
* Re “Portfolios Required to Graduate,” March 2.
It is regrettable that [Los Angeles Unified School District Subdistrict C] Supt. Bob Collins would even suggest that in order to wear a cap and gown students who have met all of the academic requirements for graduation be denied that special honor unless they have first provided a plan for their future.
The cap and gown is a reward for an accomplishment and should not be denied, marking individuals with the “scarlet letter” simply because they are not ready to make a decision about their future.
While I would agree that in a perfect world all high school graduates would go on for further education and / or specific job training, the fact is that many of them, for various reasons, just want to get a paying job.
As a successful business executive with much experience with these young persons, I know that, fortunately, there are all kinds of wonderful opportunities for these young graduates who, after starting at the lowest level of employment, successfully find their way to the top. No matter how good the intentions of the program being suggested by the LAUSD, it is not fair to those who are not ready for the next step in their lives.
BERNARD S. OTIS
Encino
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