Common sense has gone out the window. My daughter would be suspended all the time because she's a hugger. And I think that's a good quality. Yes it goes too far. Teachers can tell if a hug is just that a hug or if it is sexual. Common sense is slowly disappearing from or society. I shake my head and roll my eyes in disbelief. In many cases  i think organized sick outs or the students would be the most effective way of telling school administrations and school boards that they are wrong. you have to hit them in the pocket book to get their attention. One more reason for school vouchers.

Interesting side note: Utah just rejected a school voucher plan.

http://www.au.org/site/News...

"Utahns voted 60-40 percent to nullify a sweeping voucher plan passed by the legislature earlier this year. The vote, said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, is another reminder of how unpopular voucher plans are.

“States don’t come any redder than Utah,” Lynn noted, “yet voters were quick to shoot down this misguided plan. Lawmakers in other states need to sit up and take notice.”

Awsmom8,

I agree that the schools don't like vouchers because they then have to compete for the tax dollars that they get regardless of where the student attends now. Just imagine if the schools had to compete, they would really have to do some work to ensure the parents trust them enough to educate their kids. Thank God that we in Tehachapi have more good teachers than bad, but I have had my own problems with a few.

What I don't agree with you on is the church and state issue. Everyone loves to throw that into the mix but unless the government is forcing you to take your kid to a church or forcing a religion onto you there is no church and state issue. So to stop the vouchers due to the so called church and state is to me more of a violation than not allowing parents to decide what school to send their kids. The constitution states that the "congress shall make no law respecting an estabishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" So if some respect by not allowing the vouchers to be used for a religion base school, they in fact are making a law that breaks the first admendment by way of making a law that prohibits the free exercise of religion.

Maybe I'm wrong but I thought the school voucher program was used so YOUR money would go to whatever YOU wanted. So in reality awsmom your tax dollars wouldn't be going anywhere, but where you want it to go. I'm not real familiar with how the program works, but it would seem like this is how it works.

Right now people are paying money to send their kids to school where the word "GOD" isn't allowed to be spoken and creation isn't allowed to be taught, where they are forced to take sex ed, and soon forced to no longer use the term mommy and daddy and share bathrooms with the same sex. Many people do not consider that a neutral environment.

I think it's our money, and we should be able to use it however we wish. Pubic, private, religious,.........It should be our choice.

If you folks are allowed to direct your tax dollars away from public education & towards the school of your choice, why should I have to pay any taxes towards public education at all? I've never had a child in school, and yet I'm expected to pay year after year into a system I don't benefit from.

This was said with a huge amount of sarcasm, in case you're unaware. Do you see where vouchers can take you?

Dog wrote: Common sense is slowly disappearing from or society.  To be thinking this clearly you must have turned off NPR this morning!  I am so proud of you! 

I like the school voucher idea, but wonder if it will make dumb schools dumber and good schools gooder? (that was intentional)

If I CHOOSE to use my vouchers to send my children to a religious school where GOD does exist, that should be a freedom I can enjoy as an AMERICAN. Instead we have uneducated "Seperation of Chuch and State" nut jobs preventing me from doing so.  Does anyone know what the ACLU's position is on this. 

Red, no one is stopping you from sending your kids to a Christian school, or homeschooling if you so desire. Just don't ask me as a fellow taxpayer to subsidize your choice.

I'm surprised that no one has told those flagpole gatherings that God doesn't exist in public schools. Funny, 'cause last time I looked there were plenty of Bibles in public schools, so it's not like the book has been banned or anything. Or are you talking about a different God?

Oohchild,

That is true, if you never had kids, why are you paying for others kids. However, we do need education to advance our country and I do really believe that taxes are needed to create good schools. The problem is that like any service that has no competition, schools won't advance if they just keep getting money without having to fight for it.

I also agree with you that we should have to sudsidize people education if they want to use other than public schools. However if they do choose to use other than public then they should be allowed to have a tax reduction for that choice.

Now about your assumption that there are plenty of Bibles in school is rather funny. The fact is that many schools have subspended kids in other districts for reading the Bible in class during reading times. So far not in Tehachapi but my kids have been afraid to take their Bibles to school.