What more can the Minnesota Legislature pile on to our already struggling public education system? The latest missive requires schools to now be responsible for student bullying behavior on par with other harassment obligations. Teachers must now add bullying to their increased responsibilities for managing poor grade performance, classroom misbehaviors, differentiated instruction, and "ineffective" lessons.
Will any elected official ever have the intestinal fortitude to acknowledge that the teacher is NOT the parent? And yet, nowhere in the proposed legislation are parents held accountable for ANY poor or unacceptable student behavior, let alone the latest plague--bullying! So, here is my proposal.
It's time we hold parents fully responsible and accountable for ALL student performance and behavior. I propose the following legislation that would fine the parent $1,000 PLUS 30 days in the workhouse for each student infraction, to wit: (1) homework not done or not turned in on time; (2) student not getting to class on time (or skipping class altogether); (3) any distruptive student behavior in the class room as determined solely by the teacher; (4) student using foul language in the classroom, hallways, and anywhere else on school premises deemed off limits for swearing; (5) littering; (6) student acting out and being inattentive in class; (7) student wearing any article of clothing that fails to demonstrate modesty (e.g., cleavage, butts, boxers, midriffs); and (8) all other behaviors--real or imagined--that could possibly be found offensive by any adult on school premises.
Furthermore, any attempt by parents to be confrontational when notified of these behaviors will result in a double infraction (i.e., $2,000 PLUS 60 days in the workhouse). By the way, children of legislators guilty of these infractions would result in the legislator-parents being charged with a triple infraction (i.e., $3,000 PLUS 90 in the workhouse...especially if it occurs during a legislative session).
It is clear that the above misbehaviors are the result of poor parenting...not poor or inadequate teaching. So why does the Legislature continue to hold schools accountable for the child-rearing inadequacies of the parents? Rather, would it not be better for the Legislature to force the issue of good parenting? My mother made it ABUNDANTLY clear that if I was EVER involved in bullying of any kind, I would receive a punishment that would NEVER be forgotten. If I ever brought home a grade lower than a "C," I was grounded until the next report card. If I ever misbehaved in school, I received DOUBLE the consequence ever imagined or doled out by school administrators.
An alternative proposal might be a $500 tax credit to the parents if each child earns a "C" or better in all classes PLUS is never cited for any of the above infractions. And, for those parents who pay no taxes, they would get a check in the amount of $500.
It's time to put parents back into the role of parenting...and let our teachers teach in a positive and productive environment.
