Common Sense in Florida

July 1 brings new laws in many states. Can't you just wait to find out what the legislators have really spent their time on in the past year?

An Associated Press article reports the following: "Florida: Relaxes schools' zero-tolerance policies by preventing children from being arrested or expelled for insignificant misbehavior such as bringing plastic butter knives to school, drawing pictures of guns or vandalizing property."

Remember the child who was expelled (in what state?) for having a toy pistol (about 1/2" in size) on his keychain?

Or, closer to home, the high school student in McHenry who doodled during class and the school "authorities" deemed his doodling as gang signs?

The only reason that school personnel get away with actions like those is because parents and voters let them get away with it.

This fall, get involved in your kid's school life. Find out about the parent-teacher organization at his school. These are sometimes now called parent advisory councils. Maybe that's what so few parents are on them. They don't find out about them, or they aren't listened to.

Show up at School Board meetings (and not just in Marengo, either!). Speak up. Speak out. Take your like-minded neighbors and parents. Make sure the school board members listen to you. Remember, you elected them (not the other way around).