Schools Need To Be Made Safe for Learning

Re “Tell Truth on School Crime,” editorial, July 11: The L.A. Unified School District considers its schools so safe that last month high school principals were informed by the budget slashers that many of their full-time (six hours per day) campus security aides would be laid off at the end of June 2004. That will leave high schools with only lower-cost, part-time (three hours per day) aides. I have been an assistant principal at two LAUSD high schools for nine years and I know from experience that full-time security aides tend to be more mature and reliable and suffer from far less turnover than part-time aides.

While part-time aides can handle simple supervision tasks, full-time aides often prevent fights, root out drug dealers and consistently work to round up students who are out of class. I certainly hope that the new school board and the superintendent have the foresight to reconsider the decision to lay off full-time aides rather than wait for a tragedy to occur before they are eventually reinstated.

Ali Galedary

Assistant Principal

University High School

Los Angeles

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Stonewalling by administrators about dangerous schools serves no stakeholders in public education. While students and their parents are the most obvious victims, teachers also suffer from denying the truth about campus violence. That’s because the learning process is tacitly predicated on a sense of security for all parties involved.

One way to get the truth out to the public and restore its confidence is through publication of an “Opportunity to Learn Index.” This would report not only what students learned but under what conditions their learning took place. The index would include whether instruction took place in a safe environment. It would also indicate whether there were adequate textbooks, supplies and equipment, as well as clean restrooms. Last but not least, it would make known whether students were taught by highly qualified teachers.

The California Legislature has been studying such an index as part of the new master plan for education. In light of the egregious legerdemain taking place, it’s time for the Legislature to act.

Walt Gardner

Los Angeles