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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-11-03, Page 4Letters Writer encourages parents to get involved in education THE EDITOR, It's not surprising that parents are demanding a greater role in their children's education. After all, a good education is key to young people gaining the skills and knowledge they need to get a job or go on to post secondary education. The new 18-member Ontario Parent Council just set up by the Ministry of Education and Training will spend $600,000 of taxpayers' money to advise the minister on issues relating to elementary and secondary education and on ways all parents can become more involved in their children's education. Parents across Ontario didn't have much time to apply for six of the council's 18 positions which will be allotted on a regional basis. Three positions will be filled by representatives of home and school associations and the remaining nine positions will be political appointments. The verdict is still out on whether 18 parents will be able to present to the Minister of Education and Training the full range of views of all Ontario parents. The Ontario Parent Council is a step in the right direction. It will likely provide a valuable opportunity for a few parents to participate in education at the provincial level. Yet, it leaves out millions of parents and other people across Ontario who may want to get more involved in their children's education. To be effective, the council must be allowed to work with the other parents and players in Ontario's school system. After all, many groups and persons are interested in education. At a meeting convened by the Ministry of Education and Training to discuss the Ontario Parent Council's mandate, the Ontario Public School Boards' Association recommended that all partners in Ontario's education system — the ministry, school boards and trustees, parents, taxpayers, employers, and other community members — work together to build on the strengths of Ontario's school system. Public school trustees value and encourage the involvement by parents and other taxpayers in our schools. In fact, many public school boards already use a variety _ of means to involve parents and other community members in education. Several school boards invite community members to participate in their budget process; many have community representa- tives on board committees which make recommendations relating to curriculum, budgets, and school policies; others involve parents in comprehensive reviews of schools. As an example of the commitment of public school boards to community involvement, one board conducted a year-long Photo by Bonnie Gropp study on parental involvement in which parents were asked how they would like to be involved in the school boards' activities. Now, parents' involvement ranges from the more traditional parent-teacher activities to involving parents in generating schools' vision and mission statements, behaviour codes and the design and use of report cards. In another community, there is an independent umbrella group of 15 parent associations which meets four times each year. They distribute a newsletter, invite school-board staff to public meetings and bring in speakers to expand parents' knowledge on education issues. In a few public school board, parents help select principals and vice-principals and the board requires principals to set up community advisory councils. Some public school boards involve parents and other community members in their strategic planning and visioning processes. These activities are some examples of what public school boards do to involve parents and others in education. The Ontario Public School Boards' Association is now conducting a comprehensive study to identify additional ways to improve in a meaningful way the participation of all parents and other community members in education. It's important for school boards to broaden their liaison with parents and it's important for all parents and taxpayers to know that public school boards welcome their participation in their community's school system. Linda Hamill Vice-President, Ontario Public School Boards' Association. C eNA The North Huron P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ott. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887.9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell PlIO The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.5.1.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A. and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscrlpts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1993. Hate at all costs Peace, one would think, would be one of the most sought-after commodities in the world but tragedies this weekend in two areas of the world where peace threatens to break out, show that some people would rather go on hating than live in peace. In the West Bank area of Israel, Muslim extremists murdered an Israeli settler last week, getting just the reaction they wanted from extremist Israeli settlers when they went on a rampage punishing Palestinians at random. Two Palestinians were killed. Will Palestinians now take the bait and retaliate back, starting a new round of killing and violence? Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland where residents were just beginning to harbour hope that some accommodation between the Protestants and Catholics could be arrived at, extremists are again doing their best to undermine peace efforts. First the Irish Republican Army planted a bomb that killed innocent people, then Protestant extremists retaliated. Then on the weekend two Protestant gunmen opened fire on people in a pub where Protestants and Catholics were drinking peacefully together, killing seven people. The illegal Ulster Freedom Fighters claimed "credit" for the killings, saying they were in retaliation for the IRA bombing. Yet two of the victims of the retaliation were Protestants. The extremists in both these classes are a minority, but unfortunately it only takes a minority to keep hatred alive. The only way to combat this kind of hatred is for ordinary people to refuse to be drawn in. If people refuse to lend their support, financial or moral, to the haters on both sides, then the hate movement will eventually starve. As long as people react in rage and vow revenge, however, the hatred will flower forever. —KR Paying the price With the falling of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union it seemed the world had an opportunity for a new unity in fighting aggression, but the West, which seemed ready to go to the brink of nuclear destruction to fight communism, seems to be backing away from confrontation after confrontation with despots far smaller than the "evil empire". The United States, once ready for invasion of any country that seemed on the verge of falling into communist hands, now looks at evasion instead, when it comes to involvement in countries where right-wing dictators reign. The country that once invaded Grenada, that took over Panama to capture Manuel Noriega, now is content to use a blockade to try to force military dictators in Haiti to give up their power. Congressional leaders are strongly against any involvement that might risk American lives. The United States is not alone, however. When President Bill Clinton made noises about armed intervention in Bosnia to try to force the Serbs to reduce their aggression, European leaders protested vehemently. Nobody likes the thought that young citizens of their country might die in the name of helping bring peace to some country hundreds or thousands of miles away. The fact remains, however, that if tin-pot dictators know that the world's leading countries are afraid to get involved in bringing peace and justice, then they will be free to carry on in their barbaric ways with impunity. It's a no-win situation. If outside powers were to invade Haiti to restore democracy, many innocent people would be killed. By resorting to trade sanctions and a naval blockade, many innocent people are suffering deprivation in a country that is already one of the poorest in the world. Perhaps the blockade is the best way to solve the problem in Haiti with the least harm to the most people. Certainly, it's refreshing to see the U.S. choosing a more peaceful solution instead of military might, for a change. But at some point, the forces of peace and democracy must show that they are ready to pay the price for freedom for people in smaller countries of no strategic importance to major powers like the United States. It would be horrible to see young Canadian lives lost, but we must risk lives to gain a wider world peace. The upcoming Remembrance Day shows us how terrible the sacrifice for peace must be at times. If we're not willing to pay the price, however, dictators will get away with torture, murder and oppression forever and a dream of world peace will be lost. — KR E ditorial